March Break Family Activities for Mississauga Moms

There is a lot going on the week of March Break at momstown Mississauga for moms, kids and even the babies (for whom this is just another week). If you haven't joined yet - this is the month to do it!
First up this March we have a SUPER exciting Baby Basics Program on March 7th is being sponsored by Fisher Price. You can read about all the party details here - we'll be raffling off 4 fabulous toys from Fisher Price at the event!



To officially "kick off" March Break our first weekend event is the Sports Spring Fling Family Event at the Sports Training Academy on Sunday March 10th. Parents and kids will have the chance to test out the equipment and their programming. All this will be followed up by crafts and a yummy free lunch! Sign up on our calendar for this fun family event.



Throughout the week momstown Mississauga has lots going on for everyone.

• A night out at our Bookclub for our mamas
• Discovery Field Trip to see some Dinosaurs at The Royal Botanical Gardens
• Sip N Stroll at Square One, 
• Mom & Tot Dinner
• A Fun Swim, 
• St. Patricks Day Party for our Babies and much much more!

If you are fighting off cabin fever you can always check our nation site momstown.ca for great craft ideas, meal suggestions, peer support from moms going through the same things as you on our minds & moments blogs or to enter our many contests.

Join us by signing up for your Free 4 Week Trial Membership today.
momstown Mamas have fun all month long not just special occasions like March Break!


Here is a Roundup of what's going on in the City of Mississauga!

The City of Mississauga offers full day programs for kids ages 5 and up! There are also a variety of swimming and skating lessons being offered for this week as well as the popular  half day  camps to keep your kids from saying "I'm Bored"! (at least not until Wed)

Mississauga Libraries March Break Activities are running at the Mississauga Library Branches.  There are many special Programs with Creature Quest animals, magic shows, Mad Science, Storytimes and more. 

  

Mississauga's Maple Syrup Festival at the Bradley Museum. There will be daily wagon rides, kids can tap a tree, check a sap line, historic demonstrations and tour, pancakes and kids crafts! 

The rink is open the whole week from 10am - 10pm at Celebration Square. This is the perfect family friendly way to get some exercise and enjoy "downtown Mississauga"!

 Sign up today for our newsletter, see what we are up to on our Facebook Page and follow our blog to get even more updates from momstown Mississauga about events that are happening in our great city!

Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes momstown VIP Screening

Some very lucky momstown Mississauga moms and kids were treated to an advanced screening of the Newest Barbie DVD  Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes. This latest Barbie™ release is available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD on February 26^th, 2013. 

My daughter and I enjoyed our fabulous ‘girly’afternoon out held at Canada's National Ballet school. It was the perfect venue to host the VIP Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes screening. The decor and snacks were themed, ballet slipper cookies, lemonade & popcorn - everything was pink!

The NBS dancers were lovely in their tutus and our momstown girls were thrilled to be able to dance with ‘real ballerinas’ just like Barbie™ in the movie.
 

 

 

Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes is an exciting ballet movie in which Barbie™ stars as Kristyn, the hard-working dancer, who wows the big ballet company in her performance of Giselle and Swan Lake.  Through this journey Kristyn learns that when you dance from your heart – your dreams can come true. This is a great message for all girls to hear.  I especially loved how this movie brought these two classic ballet stories to life in a format my 4yr old could relate to.

 

Barbie™ has introduced a line up of dolls, accessories and a playset which allow girls to recreate some of their favorite scenes from the film. A must have is the Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes as Kristyn Farraday™.  Two in one, girls can simply twist the doll and her skirt reverses for a magical transformation! I know what is going to be on the birthday wish list for my little ballerina!

 

 

The Barbie™ fun doesn't end here for momstown Mississauga!  We have another exciting Barbie™ contest coming up so keep your eyes on this blog!

 If you were not one of the lucky winners here's your chance to dance! On Sunday March 24th we're having a special music and movement event celebrating Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes. Would you like to join us?  We'll be doing a dance demonstration, and each child will get to take home a ballet themed craft from the event.  And of course, everyone is encouraged to come in their best ballet dancer outfit and bring their favourite Barbie™ doll or stuffed friend with them.  Boys are welcome too. My son loved doing ballet last year – and did you know many schools offer discounts to encourage male enrolment!? Dance is wonderful exercise! 

 

Our special event is open to the public but you need to RSVP so please send us an email at info.mississauga@momstown.ca to reserve your spot!

 

 

 Thank you Barbie™ for the lovely afternoon with my daughter - one I am sure she will not soon forget!

Contest CLOSED! Grand Opening of New Mastermind Store - Eglinton & Hurontario in Mississauga!

Mark your Calendars for Saturday March 2nd - Sunday March 3rd!  The newest Mastermind Toys Store in Mississauga located at Hurontario & Eglinton is holding their Grand Opening.  


It is going to be quite the party! There will be cupcakes (nut free), balloon sculptures, and lots of great deals. There is an in-store coupon worth 25% off which can be used for any one item of your choice.



26 Eglinton Ave West, Mississauga ON

The kids will be thrilled.  There is a special make & take station, a 'lootbag buffet' where kids can choose two items to bring home. And of course the kids can check out the 10 000 toys this store holds! The Saturday hours are 9:30am - 6pm and Sunday hours are 11am-5pm.

To make this even more special, momstown Mississauga has a $100 gift card to give away! To enter simply sign into google and leave a comment on this blog telling momstown what item you would love to buy your child(ren).

One winner will be chosen at random - giftcard can be picked up in store next weekend!

We're looking forward to seeing you at Mastermind Toys Central Mississauga's Grand Opening.

Rolling Sushi with Kids

momstown Mississauga moms and kids tried making vegetarian sushi last month. One of our awesome mamas arranged it all - she had been wanting to try this with her own kids.

Vegetarian Sushi all set up!

Our hostess had cut up all the veggies and arranged everything really nicely in advance. Once the sticky rice cooled a little the kids got down to work. Nori was placed down onto flexible bamboo mats, then rice added and pushed down (with clean hands) to cover the seaweed.

The kids had a great time choosing which veggies they wanted to try. Many did not make it into the roll. Once it was all chosen with a little help the rolls were enthusiastically assembled. 

There were differing reactions to the finished sushi - a few of the kids were only interested in eating the components while others (like my son pictured above) enthusastically gobbled it up! He was so excited to try his creation that he couldn't even wait for the sushi to be cut!

Little Help from Mom to cut the rolls! Delicious!

Do you like this idea? How do you get your kids to try new foods? We are so lucky to have this creative mama as part of our group. We do fun things like this all month long at momstown Mississauga. Join us sign up for your membership here and start getting out with your kids trying new things!

Last minute Valentine Heart Decorations

Simple and easy these are really elegant little yarn ornaments or decorations to make with your preschooler for Valentines Day or any holiday, The "ingredients" are simple enough you are likely to have the items on hand. Mix it up for Easter and make egg shapes, in the summertime make flowers, in the fall pumpkins or leaf shapes!  You are only limited by imagination with the shapes although simple is probably best. 

There are only a few steps however overall the project is multi-step, involving measuring, cooking and a sensory experience getting messy with the yarn. It was engaging enough to keep my little man hooked on each step! 

"Ingredients"

Yarn

Cookie cutters

Parchment paper lined baking sheet

Cornstarch Glue

Step 1. 

Make Cornstarch "Glue"

Combine 1/4c of Cornstarch and 1/2c of water and heat over medium heat. Stir until thickened, and set aside to cool. Add more water to get the right "glue" consistency. 

Step 2.

Cut up yarn into long strands. 

Step 3. 

Prep baking sheet with parchment and lay out cookie cutters. Dip the yarn strings into the glue, completely coating them. This is very messy! Use your fingers to smooth off the yarn and make sure it is completely coated. Drop the yarn into the cookie cutter, twining it around to make interesting shapes. Use colours to suit the theme. Our Valentines Hearts were made up of white, pink and red yarn. 

Step 4. 

Preheat oven to min setting - then turn it off. Remove the cookie cutters and reshape as necessary. Put the pan in the now warm oven for up to 20 mins to dry. 

Step 5. 

Tie on a string, hang and enjoy!  Combine a few to make a fun mobile. 

Win tickets to the Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes DVD Premier!

Win TIckets to this exclusive Barbie™ in the Pink shoes  Pre-Screening Event! Event will take place: February 24, 2013 from  1:30pm – 4:30pm at the National Ballet School of Canada in Toronto.

Winners will join us for a fun-filled exciting afternoon in celebrating the brand new Barbie™ in the Pink shoes DVD.  This is an afternoon for you and your little one to meet Barbie™ and help her celebrate her brand new DVD. 

Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes DVD

      Make sure to bring a camera or smartphone to have your photo taken with Barbie™   Dress up, wear a tutu or your ballet outfit and join in on the fun. Each little girl will be given the opportunity to learn a ballet dance on a real ballet barre.

BARBIE™ in the Pink Shoes BARBIE® as Kristyn Farraday™ Doll (2-in-1)

 

To enter the contest, please leave a comment in the section below about why your child loves Barbie™. 

Make sure you sign in with your email address so we can contact you if you have won. One entry per email address. Contest open Feb 13- Feb 20, 2013. Winners will be drawn on February 21, 2013 and contacted. 

Top 10 Things I LOVE About Having Twins

 

1.      One pregnancy - while it was heavy and awkward and I was huge by 7 months... it was very efficient to have 2 kids at once. Luckily for us they were healthy and I had no complications during pregnancy.

2.      The thought that at one point my body contained 3 heads, 3 hearts, 12 limbs - aren't our bodies amazing?

3.      Double the smiles! Of course some days there were double the tears too but it is so rewarding when your baby responds to you - and with twins it is truly double the pleasure!

4.      Always having a baby to hold. My hubby has often said that he loved that we had the kids at the same time because otherwise he might not have gotten to hold our babies.

5.      Having twins meant I was less stressed. I know that sounds crazy but I had to let go right away. Sometimes one baby had to wait, I think the experience made me overall a more laid back parent.

6.      Seeing the differences in their personalities right away! You aren't supposed to compare siblings but its really hard with twins. Since mine are fraternal boy girl twins I have found it fascinating to watch them develop so differently while having such similar life experiences.

7.      Watching their close relationship. Twins do everything at the same time, so it has been incredible watching this. From a few months old when they started to "notice" each other to now when they are each others "BFFs".

8.      It is really comforting for both parents and the kids to go through childhood milestones (first dentist visit, first day in pre-school, Junior Kindergarten etc) knowing your child has a built in friend.

9.      Feeling like a superstar - this is totally unwarranted since really noone chooses to have twins and anyone can survive it... but its nice to get all the attention when the twins are babies!

10. All the fun comments you hear about twins - everyone has a story to tell you about twins they have known. You hear amazing "facts" about how boys & girls CAN be identical if they are twins *giggle* and all sorts of other myths.