Canada Day Events in Mississauga

There are many celebrations happening all over our great city this Sunday July 1st, 2012! Here is a list for you of what's happening this long weekend in Mississauga. By next year I hope that I will be putting our momstown Mississauga Canada Day Celebration on the blog post I write! So grab your red t shirts and show your Canadian spirit - get out and celebrate on Sunday at one of these fantastic family friendly events! All three of these Mississauga events feature FIREWORKS!



Port Credit Paint the Town Red

There is a parade, a BBQ from the Port Credit Lions Club where the kids eat for FREE, a Canada Day Cake, and free kids activities in Port Credit Memorial Park from 1-5pm. Bouncy Castles, pony rides - the family fun will be going all afternoon.  That's not all though there is dancing and musical entertainment going on all day and throughout the evening there will be Tribute Bands covering Lady Gaga, Tom Jones, the BeeGees (what an eclectic selection)! Fireworks at 10pm!  





Mississauga Celebration Square - Celebrate the Day on the Square! 

Events get going on the main stage at 1pm as Mayor McCallion kicks things off with other members of Council. There are kids events going on all day, be sure to visit the Library and the Living Arts Centre for free fun family events like story times and kids art activities. In the square there will be jugglers, stilt walkers, and live shows like Puss in Boots!
On the stage there is a wide selection of talent from our city and the evening will end with fireworks! Certainly this is an event not to be missed!

Streetsville Canada Day Celebrations

This party has culture and history along with lots of fun for the whole family. There is a first nations band, a Lions Club colour party doing a Flag raising, the Streetsville Pipes and Drums will march through the village and bands.  With children's activities like face painting, clowns, soap carvers, craft tables on both Main Street and at Memorial Park it is sure to have something for the whole family. Fireworks at 10pm at Memorial Park!

How do you plan to celebrate with your family this long weekend? Share your great ideas here on our blog, on our Facebook Fan page or visit us at our website - we have a free 4 week trial membership on now - sign up and see what how other Mississauga Moms are keeping the kids busy this summer! 

Junior Chef Program – Cooking with Mississauga Kids in the Park!

Monday was our Junior Chef program and since the weather is nice we hosted it at Erindale park and not inside at a kitchen table! We packed a picnic lunch and headed to the park to play and then the kids made an easy summer dessert – trifle.

I packed up cutting boards, utensils and a variety of fruit, cake, pudding and whipping cream as well as clean up supplies.  As I was on my way I realised that I had forgotten the knives. A quick stop to text a member mama and she saved the day! She brought along enough knives for all the kids to have their own. 

First we cut up cake and put it into bowls – then we spooned on pudding! I made lemon pudding as the cake was a plain pound cake. Next the kids got cutting up their fruit - there were mangoes, grapes, strawberries and blueberries. They all practised cutting the soft fruit and then covered it all up with whipped cream! It was a nice cool dessert on a hot day.

Have you let your kids try using a knife? It’s not something you might have thought to do but cutting food is a basic skill that all kids should learn. Of course it needs to be supervised and we used plastic knives outside at the park on soft fruit, so there was no danger of anyone losing a finger!

Here are my Top 3 tips for getting kids used to Using a Knife.

• Only mom gets to pick out the knives – ours are kept in a block and it can be difficult to pull out a knife properly from the counter.
• Keep the point of the knife touching the cutting board as much as possible. Do not let the knife point come up off the board as this will minimize the chance of the sharp end being swung around as questions are being asked. It also avoids the sawing motion which can lead to slips as round food moves around so easily. 
•  Use a sharp knife. Now of course you have to be there and start out holding on with the kids but older toddlers can use a sharp knife for cutting like a paring knife (however you know your own child). It’s much safer (in my opinion) than a plastic knife where you might be tempted to look away for a sec – it goes without saying... never ever leave your kids alone with a knife!

Engaging your children in food preparation will increase the likelihood they will try new and different foods. Yes the pieces will be all different sizes to start– that’s ok! Did you know it can take a child up to 10 times trying a food before they will decide whether or not it is palatable? Getting kids involved in the shopping and food prep will increase the chances they will be healthy eaters now and in the future!

Not ready for knives? Have your kids tear up the lettuce for salads, use a peeler on a carrot or shred the cheese! How do you engage your kids in healthy eating? Share here on our blog or on our Facebook Fan Page. Join us next month at our Junior Chef program and get cooking with your kids! Not a member yet? No problem – free 4 week trial memberships are available on our website! 

Mississauga’s Largest Farmer’s Market - at Square One Shopping Centre

This is the time of year I love best! Farmer’s Markets across the City are opening up! Here in Mississauga we are very lucky to have several Farmer’s Markets.  The largest is the Sq 1 Market held on Fridays & Sundays at the parking lot beside the Coliseum Movie Theater at Square One Shopping Centre.  

Port Credit has its own Farmers Market on Saturdays at the corner of Elmwood Ave. & Lakeshore Rd.E.  Streetsville also has a Market at the Streetsville Go Station Parking lot on Saturday mornings.

Farmers Markets are a great place to take your kids on a journey of discovery. What better place to talk to kids about healthy eating? Its also beneficial to find out where our food comes from! Kids can meet the farmers themselves and find out a little bit about what it takes to grow and produce our food. It doesn't just appear in the grocery store by magic! 

I have found that while visiting, the vendors love to see the kids and will often engage them in conversation and offer encouragement to try new things. There are pieces of fruit and veggies cut up for sampling at most stalls. What a great way to get a reluctant toddler to try something new!

The kids love discovering new fruits and produce too. Last week we saw cherries that were white and pink (which thrilled my daughter who loves everything pink)! The kids got to touch and choose the beans and peppers that were on our list. They sampled cucumbers, apricots and of course local strawberries -which are so delicious this time of year! 

 Have you ever gone to pick your own? We have a momstown DiscoveryField Trip booked later this week to do just that! Consider joining us – free 4 week trial memberships are available on our website!

This picture shows our buys last week - they cost $15 spinach, asparagus, 6 peppers, rhubarb, 2qts green beans & basil (the flowers were a gift)! 

How do you engage your kids in cooking? Do you  have picky eaters at home or are your kids stuck on one or two main things they like to eat? At our house I am always trying new recipes (I get bored with the same old food all the time)  Most new things are often not a hit, only one or two components end up being enjoyed by the kids (sometimes hubby too).  Let me know about your successes (or failures) here on our blog or connect with us on our Facebook Fan Page. Stay tuned for more blogs about healthy eating as we start our Junior Chef program at momstown Mississauga. 

Tales for Tots in Mississauga - A Book club for Kids!

Tales for Tots is a monthly book club  at momstown Mississauga which is sponsored by Scholastic Canada. momstown has  teamed up with the publisher to provide a book club just for kids in each of our 19 momstown communities across Canada. Each month we read a story provided by Scholastic Canada and do a fun craft that ties in with our monthly theme. Afterwards there is a free play time where the kids can test out the fun toys at the Chapters kids section.

This month we were lucky enough to have a song & puppet bookOld Macdonald’s Farm. This is a super hand puppet style book that has appeal across the ages. It starts out as a great way to engage your baby and teach animal recognition and sounds. As your child gets older they can tell you what animal is coming up next and there is the possibility for big fun as you get singing and making barn animal noises (you can almost hear the silly snorting and mooing can’t you?).

This was my first time ‘reading in public’ and I must say I was terrified! I practised reading to my own two kids at home last night and I realised how engaged they can be in a story. It’s amazing to see how tweaking the way you read just a little can get your kids more involved!  I don’t know what I was so nervous about as the kids were easily engaged today (it is a great book) and the song was very familiar.




Our duck craft this month was chosen by my own 2 kids who thoroughly enjoyed cutting out the circles for bodies and the triangles for beaks and feet.  It is fun to engage them in the activities and I am looking forward to the summer when we can all be “working” together at all of the fun momstown Mississauga events we have lined up! I am already looking forward to next month when we return to Chapters for our July Tales for Tots book club.

At the end of the session we drew tickets to see who would take home the book. Our winner Ben was there with his Dad and had a great time enjoying the story and getting to do the craft with the other momstown kids.

Do you have a favorite book in your family or one that has appealed to your kids from birth? Share it here or on our Facebook Fan Page.  We have a free 4 week trial membership special  on our website so you can join us and see what momstown is all about!

June is Water Safety month with the Red Cross!

June is Water Safety month with the Red Cross!

Red Cross is encouraging families to keep water safety top-of- mind this summer

June 3-9 is Water Safety Week, and with temperatures warmed up and many backyard pools opening, the Canadian Red Cross is reminding families to remain cautious and safe while in and around water.

Every year, approximately 400 Canadians die from drowning. Recent polling by Ipsos Reid, on behalf of the Red Cross, shows that despite significant water safety education and awareness programming, there is still a gap in Canadians’ behaviour around the water.

IMPORTANT: momstown Mamas in the PEEL REGION (Brampton & Mississauga) we are holding our water safety event June 28th from 1:30 - 2:30pm at the Canadian Red Cross office in Mississauga.  Click the link to find out location details and then sign up to reserve your spot at the event on our calendar. Not a member yet? No Problem! Sign up for your free 4 week trial membership today! 




The poll found that: 

·     46 per cent of Canadian children know how to swim 

·   For 51 per cent of Canadians, ‘not allowing children under 10 to access the pool area’ is their only strategy to prevent injuries related to backyard pools

·    11 per cent of Canadian respondents who own a pool indicate they are doing nothing to prevent access to the pool for children under 10

You even need water safety skills at the splash pad! 

There are a several steps that parents can take to ensure their backyard pools are safe:

·    Create an Action Plan including adult supervision, an emergency signal, safety equipment and emergency procedures. Also have readily accessible reaching or throwing assists, a working phone and first aid kit.

·    Don’t swim alone: Actively supervise your children in and around water at all times. If you have to leave the pool area for any reason, take your children with you. Children should always swim with a buddy, even if they are strong swimmers.

·    Use barriers: In addition to active supervision, ensure adequate barriers are in place for backyard pools such as four-sided fencing along with a self-closing, self-latching gate. Refer to your municipal bylaws for fencing requirements.Portable or inflatable pools should be emptied after each use or covered and locked.

·    Keep the deck clear: Make sure there are no toys or debris on the deck to avoid injury. 

·    Dive with care: About 95 per cent of diving injuries occur in water five feet deep or less. Many, perhaps most, in-ground home pools are unsafe for diving even if they are fitted with a diving board. The best safety practice is to avoid diving in home pools.

·    Avoid Alcohol: If you have teens, talk to them about the dangers of alcohol and swimming. Alcohol is involved in about half of swimming drownings.

·    Get Trained:  Parents and children should learn to swim. It’s never too late. Those with home pools should also enrol in a first aid course, so they know how to respond in case of emergency.

The Canadian Red Cross has been teaching Canadians how to swim and safely enjoy water activities since 1946. Each year, over 1.1 million Canadians take swimming and water safety training with the Red Cross. Visit www.redcross.ca/swim for more safety tips and information.

Mississauga’s Hottest Events This Week!

What an overwhelming week! momstown Mississauga's website ‘opened up’ for business last Friday and we’ve had quite a number of moms sign up already! I’m so excited to see our group forming and I can’t wait to meet everyone! If you have signed up for an event, great!  – I can’t wait to meet you. If you haven’t yet – why not? Please share your comments or suggestions on my blog, on the message boards , my Facebook page or via email.

We started off the week  Tuesday with a Mama Meet & Greet over coffee. What a hit!  Artisano was a great meeting spot as the kids got to run around outside on the patio (it was deserted!) while we chatted and enjoyed our coffees.  There were only a few million interruptions  (like the naughty table dancing!) and everyone had a great time.

Walk a Little Slower Daddy

Today was our first Baby Basics program for momstown Mississauga! We made an adorable keepsake craft to celebrate Father’s Day.  It was wonderful to meet some Moms with small babies and hear about how they heard of our chapter.  It sounds like many of the ladies have attended our Milton, Oakville or Hamilton Chapter’s events . They seemed very happy to have their own momstown right here in Mississauga!


At the Baby Basics program we had three super cute babies attend (and their moms too of course). A few moms with older kids also came to take advantage of the great entry price we had from the Taima Zone. This centre is huge with lots of room for kids to run around and get active! The party room was perfect for our craft as there was a sink handy for washing off those tiny toes!

The older kids did the craft too which was terrific. I’m looking forward to trying it at home with my own kids. They are in preschool until the end of June which is why I have chosen the timing of many events for this month, to accommodate drop off/pick-ups. My daughter was incensed that she and her brother missed out on the painting today!

This afternoon we had a picnic at Erindale Park – which was lovely. The weather was sunny and hot and the kids enjoyed playing and making some new friends. It would have been nice to connect a bit more, but my kids  kept me busy pushing swings - there's always next time!

AS usual, I didn’t pack light and  brought way too many things with me - soccer balls, sand toys, you name it!.It made for a tough walk when we went down to see the river. Soon after the thunderstorms moved in and chased us all home. We got home just in time to avoid the rain and watched from our front porch –hail the size of dimes fell!

Rain moving in across the park - time to head for the car! 

Tonight we are planning our first Mama’s Night Out event! I’m really looking forward to getting out of the house in the P.M. with no kids - it will be so nice to unwind after a very busy week!

It was great meeting new friends and connecting moms in our neighbourhood – I’m so proud to be starting up such a great resource to bring  women in our (very large) community  together for support  and to focus on early literacy & learning with the momstown programs!

First Anniversary and It’s a Party at Fee Fi Fo Fun Saturday June 9th in Clarkson!

This Saturday there’s a party in Clarkson that your kids will not want to miss! Fee Fi Fo Fun Kids Costumes & Balloon store in south west Mississauga is celebrating their first anniversary! The party is running all day from 10am to 4pm so you can plan a time in your busy Saturday to stop by and thrill your kids!

The event is free to attend – kids can meet their favorite Princesses or train with a Jedi Master!
How cool is that?

Fee Fi Fo Fun has costumes, accessories, toys, gifts and so much more for both adults and kids. It is the destination in Clarkson for unique birthday gifts. Why shop at mass retailers all the time when you can shop local and buy Canadian Made Products – this store has a great selection!

Fee Fi Fo Fun also features its own balloon artists who create fabulous displays for birthdays or other celebrations where a special touch is required! There is a large selection of balloons to suit any occasion.

SPECIAL OFFER:  momstown members will receive 25% off their purchase during the party or you if you bring a friend (non momstown member), you will receive 40% off and your friend will receive a free gift!!  You must show your momstown membership card in order to receive the special offer.

The Clarkson Summer in the Village event is also taking place on June 9th so there will be lots to see and do all along Lakeshore in Clarkson Village. 

See you at the party!