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!

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?

Mom's Bookclub in November was Sponsored by Scholastic

momstown Mississauga's mama bookclub this month was sponsored by Scholastic Canada. Our group was given 6 books to pick from from Scholastic's Young Adult Fiction section. 

The clear choice from our mamas was Inhuman by Kat Falls. The story is post-apocalyptic tale of a human engineered bio-tech advancement gone wrong. The story was fast moving with lots of twists and turns to keep readers engaged and guessing until the end. 

Reading YA seems to be a popular choice for many in our group as the story is fast moving and easy to read.  

One thing our bookclub has discussed is that it is not always easy to read the books you want to read once you become a parent. Life gets so busy it's hard to fit everything in. Trying new genres such as these Young Adult books has proven to be a surprisingly successful match for many of our mamas. 

Here are a couple of quotes from our message board. 

I loved the book! I've been finding it hard to read in general lately (I fall asleep far too easily!) but I could NOT put this book down.  I never thought I'd enjoy the YA genre, but it's proven to keep me interested.  I really enjoyed the storyline. It was not like anything I'd ever read before.  I found the story easy to follow, but it wasn't too predictable.  The cliffhanger at the end definitely makes me excited for the next one!

It was good - very creative and interesting storyline. 

I loved the idea that the young girl goes on an adventure to save her father and finds the truth of her childhood revealed through the fairy tales her father had told her as bedtime stories. 

Our moms meet monthly for a bookclub with no pressure. Join us next time we are on hiatus over the holidays but will resume in the winter. The cost for momstown is only $45 for the year  and includes a ton of great Mom-only events such as our bookclub. 

Fisher Price Little People Playdate at Baby Basics

momstown Mississauga moms with babies 12 months and under meet weekly at the Taima Zone for our Baby Basics group. There are art projects, interesting speakers, and throughout the year we have fun sponsored events like our recent Fisher Price sponsored Little People® Playdate!

We had Four Different Little People Toys for our Kids to test. The Little People Fun Sounds Farm®, The Little People Happy Sounds Home®, The Little People Wheelies Loops 'n Swoops Amusement Park® and the Little People Disney Princess Klip Klop Stable®.

Boys and girls both loved the The Little People Wheelies Loops 'n Swoops Amusement Park®.  The variety of cars, bright colours and fun action kept them intrigued from baby to 5 yr old! 

The kids had so much fun playing with the animals and listening to the sounds of the The Little People Fun Sounds Farm®.  Our doll lovers were engaged with the The Little People Happy Sounds Home® as the doorbell rings, the bathtub bubbles and the washing machine swishes.  

Over at the  Little People Disney Princess Klip Klop Stable® our princess fans were enthralled with the horses (and Aurora & Rapunzel ) two Royal princesses who with a klippity clop rode their horses down and around the ramp. 

Join momstown Mississauga for other fun events like these at our weekly Baby Basics group. Start having fun, meeting other new moms and getting you & your baby out to meet new people. Visit our website for more membership information or join our Facebook Page to keep up to date with our upcoming Events. 

momstown Mississauga Moms and Kids love Tropicana Tropics Juice

The Art and Play event in July for momstown Mississauga moms and kids was sponsored by Tropicana Juice. July’s hot temperatures made for the perfect month for a Tropical Themed Art Party where we sampled different flavours of Tropicana Tropics juice. There was a big group of Mississauga moms, kids and babies who came out to paint with tropical fruit, colour  tropical artwork and cool down with some delicious Tropicana Tropics juices.   

The cool and refreshing juice Tropics adds variety and brings the exotic flavours and refreshing taste of paradise to any occasion. Our mamas were happy to learn that Tropics are made with 100% juice and puree blend and contain no added sugar.

There were oranges, lemons and limes on hand to try painting with and stamping for our tropical Picassos in the Park event. There were also Tropical Crafts to colour in addition to our picnic potluck with the yummy juice.  Prizes were awarded for best dressed and most delicious potluck snacks! momstown Mississauga was so happy to be able to share cartons of juice and coupons for our winners to take home and enjoy the juices with their own families.  

 Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Tropical fun at Huron Park. A very special thank you to Marcie Costello Photography for taking such great photos at our event. To see more of Marcie's work you can visit our Facebook Album for our Tropicana Tropics Event. 

If you'd like a chance to try all four varieties of Tropicana Tropics and win everything you need to host your own Tropical party, click here! 

 momstownMississauga still has more Picasso in the Park events taking place this summer so if you would like to join us, sign up here.  A year long membership will keep you and your little ones active and engaged in your community for the unbeatable price of $45/yr. 

momstown Mississauga is Hiring an Event Coordinator

momstown Mississauga is an on-line network for neighbourhood moms wanting to connect for support, conversation and just plain fun! With a fantastic event calendar and lively and message board, momstown.ca is a great way to get involved with your community while having a blast with your kids! They say it takes a village to raise a child, we say it takes a town!

Are you looking for a way to channel your creative energy while having the flexibility of choosing your own hours and working from home? Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit but still want to spend time with your family and be compensated for it? Then joining the team at momstown Mississauga could be the answer for you!

 

Job Description – Event Co-ordinator

 

momstown Mississauga is currently seeking a creative, self-motivated, and energetic individual for a  6 month contract position as an Event Co-ordinator. In this exciting role you will coordinate & execute fun and educational events and field trips for mothers & caregivers and their young children aged 0-6 years old.

 

We're currently looking for up to two Event Coordinators for our momstown Mississauga chapter.

 

Responsibilities:

 

· Event Co-ordination

· Creating and customizing events from designated momstown curriculum

· Personally running & attending a minimum of 2 events per month: securing locations, buying & prepping supplies, running activities

· Act as a membership ambassador and liaise with members

· Provide event photos for post event promotion

· Provide description and post event evaluation

· Social Media support

Qualifications:

 

· Outgoing, dynamic leader who is creative, organized, highly self-motivated

· Strong communication & interpersonal skills

· Vested interest in children and parenting

· Comfort with leading circle/storytimes and craft activities for children

· Should live in and have strong ties within the Mississauga community

· Event planning background an asset

· Must have a valid driver’s license & reliable vehicle

· Must be comfortable with social media

Pay Structure:

 

· Independent Contract work – minimum 6 month term

· Payment is on per Event Basis and determined by Experience

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, please submit your resume and covering letter stating your experience to info.mississauga@momstown.ca no later than June 15th, 2013.

Please visit our website mississauga.momstown.ca and our head office's website for more information about momstown

 

Baby Sensory Activities & Play at momstown Mississauga

This month momstown Mississauga held 2 activites for our moms and babies that involved sensory stimulation. We hold a Baby Basics group each week where we learn about new topics, hear from industry experts and host fun programming like our Baby Picassos sessions.

In May we had 2 Baby Sensory events, the first was painting with pudding. One of the best things about joining momstown is all the experiences that are messy that are not in your house! Your child can have a great and terrifically messy experience with others and the mess is on us!

Sensory Exploration with Water & Spaghetti

 

You may be asking yourself what can I do during infancy to enhance my child's long-term development? How much, or what type of stimulation, is best? There are countless books that will tell you a variety of answers. Why not come to a momstown group like our Baby Basics and find out for yourself fun and simple ideas that are mom tested and approved!

Join our program today and start having fun with your baby and meeting new friends in your area! We offer a free 4 week trial membership however for less than $4 per month, you can take part in our group activities and leave the organizing to us!

Fisher Price Sponsors Baby Basics Spring Baby Party

We are so excited that coming up on March 7th, Fisher Price is sponsoring our Spring is Coming Baby Party! momstown Mississauga mamas meet every Thursday at Taima Zone for our Baby Basics Program but this event is extra special! There is no other mom's group where you can try out, and potentially WIN, toys from Fisher Price. That's right, we're raffling them off at the end!

Our event will kick off at 10:30 am - there will be a Special Spring Themed Circle Time, we'll have sensory bins for the babies and some sweet surprises as well!  Please join us, there's still time to sign up for your free 4 week trial membership and you can come too.

Here is a sneak peek of  the fun toys we'll be playing with:

My Little Snugabunny™ Cradle ’n Swing

Ocean Wonders™ Aquarium

Laugh & Learn™ Say Please™ Tea Set

Laugh & Learn™ Click 'n Learn Remote

momstown Mississauga is a community that provides fun and friendship for moms. If you would like to get connected with other real moms in your neighbourhood just check us out! A membership is only $45/year - you even get to try us for 4 weeks FREE!!

Register here.

Remember with every full year momstown membership purchased in 2013 you will receive a BONUS 1 year subscription to Today's Parent magazine.