Healthy Eating: Cutting the Calories in Your Coffee

Guest Blog from our mama Kelly

Last year, I changed my eating habits and not only did I feel better, but I lost some weight as well!  I managed to maintain my results for several months, but then recently found that my lazy habits were slowly making their way back into my life and a few of those unwanted pounds too!  I decided enough was enough and decided to clean up my eating once again.  I had been doing so well, and I wasn’t going to throw all of that away. 

Previously I had given up my coffee completely, because, let’s be honest, if I can’t have it with my milk and sugar, I don’t want to have it at all.  So, I began to do some research to see if I could still have my coffee (and enjoy it!) without using milk and sugar, and I came across some recipes for homemade non-dairy creamer.  

Here's the recipe I tried.  Let me know what you think?

 

 

French Vanilla Coffee Creamer

Ingredients

1 cup coconut milk


1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons date paste* ( recipe below)


1 tablespoon vanilla extract

 

Instructions

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Will store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for one week.

 

*Date Paste: Blend 1 cup of dates with 1 cup of hot water - added slowly. Leave to blend until smooth (about 1 minute).

 

Store in a glass container in the Refrigerator up to 1 week.

Adapted from a recipe on The Deliciously Organic Blog

Rhyme Rhythm & Read: A monthly bookclub for Babies in Mississauga

momstown Mississauga Babies were lucky this month to have Miss Caroline running Rhyme Rhythm & Read. They went on a transportation journey with our train book this month, I am a Train by Ace Landers.

Scholastic Canada sponsors RRR each and every month with a new baby board book. Reading to your children as infants will inspire a love of reading and a close bond with your baby that will set you up as a family for a lifetime love of reading.


momstown understands the importance of early literacy. It is one of the pillars of our programming. Our curriculum is written by a teacher and each month our coordinators develop new sensory and literacy activities to engage young minds.

Our happy winner - already reading!

Consider joining us, for a yearly fee, the whole family will have access to all of our programming and special events. Not to mention our special discounts, our partner's special promotions and the support of meeting friends who are just like you - in the same stage of life!

Sign up today!

Backyardigans Sponsor Music & Movement Class in Mississauga

Who explores a coral reef, plays in an octopus garden, and joins the jellyfish ballet - all before snack time? The Backyardigans! Koba Entertainment's hit theatrical production, "The Backyardigans: Sea Deep In Adventure" is returning to Canada!

momstown Mississauga moms and kids were thrilled to be part of an exciting event sponsored by Koba Entertainment and featuring the Backyardigans. This month's Music and Movement class had an undersea circle time theme as our kids went on an underwater adventure in our circle time.

 

Miss Sonia led our circle time and brought some fabulous friends to swim and play with the kids. We had an Octopus, Starfish, Sea Turtle and a Whale join in the fun while the kids sang along to the popular songs adapted to our sea theme.

 

Parachute time was terrific! We stomped, clapped, hopped and shook our sillies out, as well as rowing our boats.   The parachute is always a hit with the kids and the parents!

 

Our very talented event coordinator Caroline made a great aquarium craft. There were also Backyardigans colouring sheets, great bookmarks to take home and one lucky famkily won a prize package of tickets to see the show live in Mississauga! This kind of great sponsored event is just one of the many perks of a momstown.ca membership!

Would you like to see the Backyardigans Live too? You can on March 16th, in Mississauga at the Living Arts Centre! 

Little Scientists: Preschool Science Discovering Sense of Touch

momstown Mississauga is full of curious little minds, so what’s better than putting those minds to work - At our monthly Little Scientists program.  Hosted at Whole Foods Square One, this month our Little Scientists had an opportunity to learn about one of our senses – touch!

 

 

The activity consisted of seven paper bags - prepped in advance, each containing a single item.  By putting their hands into the bag, and using only their sense of touch (no peeking!) the kids were asked to guess what they thought they were feeling. 

 

 

Moms prompted them with questions like “Is it hard or soft?”, “Is it smooth or bumpy?”, and “What shape is it?”  Once they thought they knew what the object was, they glued a picture of it onto their sheet.  They each took the task of discovering each object through touch very seriously.  Their concentration and determination were admirable. 

 

 

 Once everyone had a chance to go through all seven bags, Miss Kelly pulled each item out one at a time, taking the time to discuss with the kids what they felt through touch to help them determine what each item was.  Some common answers were “fluffy” for the cotton balls, “bumpy” for the pine cone and “hard” for the rock.  Once the little ones were done, they opted for some free play, weaving in and out of the underside of the tall tables, while our mommas were able to sit back and catch up with each other.  

 

Remember, momstown Mississauga isn’t only for your kids, it’s for moms to connect as well!  Both our kids and moms are always open to meeting new friends, so why not join us next time?

Rhyme Rhythm & Read a Bookclub for Babies

momstown Mississauga families met for our Rhyme Rhythm and Read program at The Creative Kids Place in Mississauga.  

 

Our December bookclub for babies had a special guest attend via songs and stories as our group read Frosty the Snowman!  This classic tale was part of our storytime and then of course the kids sang the song in the Rhyming portion of the program.

 

Have you sung the song the whole way through? It's a challenge to remember all the lyrics - you can get so caught up in the Thumpity Thump Thump part!

 

 

 

 

This family was our lucky winner of the Scholastic Board Book. Each month Scholastic sponsors momstown literacy programs right across the country.  momstown chapters offer a full range of early education-based, whole child-focused programming that seeks to connect moms in our local communities.

 

Consider joining us with your baby and make the most of your maternity leave. We also welcome grandmas, daddies and other caregivers! Membership is only $45/year per family (for a limited time)!

Toddler Time: Active Kids Equals Great Naps!

momstown Mississauga knows the importance of physical activity with our little ones, which is why our members met weekly last fall at Canlan Sportsplex for our Program Toddler Time.  The kids practiced their ball skills, burned off some energy running around and spent time socializing with their friends. 

We were lucky enough to have one of our momstown dads join on this week, which was a real treat for the kids!  They all took turns playing ball with him, chasing him and then tumbling with him on the green.  Our moms all agreed that he was SuperDad!  Once Super Dad and the kids had their fill of play and they were ready for a rest, everyone gathered together to work on a fun leaf rubbing craft. 


We had some pretty interesting colours for the fall – blue, lime green and purple!  Timing couldn’t have been more perfect, since all the leaves have since fallen off the trees, and snow is now in the forecast!  Our momstown moms and kids always have a blast at Canlan Sportsplex, so why not join us next time! We are working on more dates through the winter for our Toddler Time Program!


Membership is only $45 for a year (for a limited time)! All the events (such as this) are included in the yearly fee.

Tales for Tots in January: Reading Superworm

Our momstown Mississauga moms recently braved the roads with their little ones after a wintery storm, to attend our Tales for Tots program at Whole Foods Square One, and they were not disappointed.  It was the perfect day to get out of the house for some crafting, story time and socializing. 

 

  

Keeping in line with January’s theme of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, the kids each crafted a name train!  They each made an engine and then added enough cars behind for each letter in their name.  The finishing touch to each picture was cotton ball smoke coming out of each engine stack. 

 

Once their masterpieces were complete, they all sat back to enjoy a reading of this month’s book, Superworm by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.  The story is about a friendly worm who is a superhero in his community, whether it be by rescuing a bug who has fallen in the well, or becoming a skipping rope to keep his friends entertained.  When he gets captured by a wicked Wizard Lizard, his friends decide they need to rescue him this time! 

 

Our moms loved the story and the kids loved the rescues and silly rhymes.  It was a huge hit across the board and like every month, Scholastic Canada provided a book for a draw so one family could take the book home!  Tales for Tots runs monthly and is a great way to promote literacy and build friendships with your little one. 

 
 

Membership to momstown Mississauga is still only $45 per year (for a limited time) and includes all of our events so why don't you join us next time?

 

New Years Eve - Noon time celebration for Preschoolers

momstown Mississauga families had a great time at our "Noon" Countdown on New Years Eve. Hosted at The Fun Side this was our second annual Noon Years Eve Countdown.

The smaller kids enjoyed playing in the toddler room on the fantastic assortment of baby equipment. While the bigger children spent their time roaming through the 3 story play structure. The slides at the Fun Side are incredibly tall and fast and keep the adults and the kids coming back for more!

Our creative coordinator Kelly made some simple shakers for "ringing" in the New Year out of toilet paper rolls. With some cardstock, stickers and help from Mom and Dad there were some fancy party hats too!

Once Noon arrived there was a countdown and everyone enjoyed an apple juice toast! Thank you to our families for coming out to celebrate. Consider joining us in 2014 as we have a great year lined up at momstown Mississauga. Membership is still only $45 for the year (for a limited time) so get yours today and start having fun all month long with your family!