Fighting the dreaded cold

This winter I have watched so many people get sick with nasty colds and flu bugs.    I thanked the stars it wasn't us! My family had been pretty lucky as none of us had gotten sick.  Until last week.

It started with my son.  The sniffles, runny nose, a bit of a cough... and then came the fever, lack of energy, full on yucky cold hit.

My son always gets hit hard with colds.  We were quite lucky so far this winter since usually by February we have had  several bouts of bronchitis, pneumonia and trips to the hospital. 

So as this cold came on fast and furious, and his fever soared, and my fear of bronchitis kicked in, we headed to the ER to get him checked out.

Thankfully all was clear, probably viral, rest and fluids and instructions to come back if it got worse.  Phew. Much better than many past visits.  The ER has been overloaded with cases of flu this winter as one nurse told me, probably one of the worst winters for illness in a long time.

So now to get my son better and avoid the cold myself.

And then I woke up feeling the dreaded cold symptoms.  Aching body, scratchy throat, stuffy nose... no way I was getting sick, there just isn't time!!  So I started to take what we call around here the "Death Drops", Oil of Oregano. 

It has been recommended by many that these horrible tasting drops will wards off cold symptoms.  So I diligently take my drops praying to avoid a full blown cold.   But no luck, I waited to long... the cold is here to stay.

How many times can you sneeze in a day?  Apparently my body is testing this theory.   How many hours at night can you cough without getting sleep?  Another theory being tested.

Vitamin C has become my new friend, boxes of tissue have been consumed, the other kids are avoiding my son and I, and the cold plugs on.

I am so sick of being sick.  How long can a cold last anyway?

Olympic Spirit

We have always watched the Olympics in this house.  This is the first year that the 2 youngest have take a real interest in it though.

Watching the various sports, some brand new for them to see, and teaching them about the "why" of the sport has been fun.

When I explained to my 6 year old the importance of the Olympics and how we are cheering for Canada I was flooded with questions.   She really took a keen interest in learning about all the things the Canadian athletes had to do to get to the Olympics and why it was such an honour for them.

As we watched some figure skating the other day, she put her colouring down and sat in silence as she watched.  She waited patiently with each pair taking the ice and kept asking if this was Canada. 

When pair, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Mosovitch took the ice and I was finally able to answer now they are Canadian, she cheered and yelled GO CANADA!

It was pretty exciting and heart warming to see that she understood that this was what we were watching for and this was what we were cheering for.

When they finished and we waited for their scoring, she sat on her knees looking more nervous than they did! 

Teaching the kids about the importance of being a proud Canadian and cheering on our countrie's incredible athletes has been a great reminder for me as well as to why I love our country.

Keepsakes for Valentines

Homemade gifts from the kids are always the best ones, especially when their little hands or feet are used to make them.

I know my mom loves to receive gifts the kids have made themselves, and the ones that have their little hand prints on them are a reminder of how small they were, and how fast they grow!

It's cute to look back over the years at their little prints to see how much they have changed.

One of our members made a super cute keepsake using a simple salt dough recipe.  It is super easy to make and easy to use.  You could make a stepping stone each year for the kids and fill your garden with footprints!

1 1/2 cup of salt

1 1/2 cup of flour

3/4 of water.

Knead until dough forms, roll out, make your design then bake on a cookie sheet for 3 hours on 200 degrees. I

 

H is for Heart!

Our Alphabet Crafts this month started with a Valentine theme. With just a week to go until Valentine's Day we learned about the letter H.  H is for heart.

The kids got to take some simple coloured hearts and they filled their H's with Love!

Meeting at our Partner Oxford Learning Centre Barrie South, the kids have a great time crafting and playing with all the fun educational toys.

It's a great day for moms to bring the kids out for some crafts and to have some chit chat time while the kids are occupied!

Singing Telegrams for Your Honey on Valentines Day!

Do you get tired of chocolate and flowers on special occasions?   Not sure what to get your special Valentine this year?

Why not try something different, like a Singing Telegram!  Send your loved one a message to let them know how special they are with the Party Circuit!

Your special someone will love the special attention and extra effort, candy and flowers get boring, a singing telegram will give them a memory to last a lifetime!

To book your special singing telegram visit The Party Circuit Today! https://www.facebook.com/thepartycircuit?fref=ts

Tales for Tots Super Worm!

Our Tales for Tots book this month was Superworm By Julia Donaldson  

It was a wonderfully illustrated book about a super worm who like to save his wildlife friends!

Toad in trouble? Beetle in a jam? Never fear — Superworm is here! And he's wiggling to the rescue! But when Superworm is captured by a wicked Wizard Lizard, will his friends find a way to help their favourite superhero escape?

 

We had a special story reader join us, my daughter!  Taking a break from exams, she joined us to play with the kids and read our story.

 

The little ones loved the book and were so curious about all the creatures that have been hiding from us this winter!

 

Our little winner was too small to understand the book, but one day he will learn all about Superworm! 

Community Celebration Planning!

Mark your calendars!!

The momstown Barrie Community Celebration is coming up on Saturday April 26th from 10am - 1:30pm at the Holly Community Centre!

This will be a fantastic fun and free event for Barrie and the surrounding communities.

Every year momstown holds its annual Birthday Bash in August to celebrate our milestones.  This year, we are changing things up a bit and moving our event to April and indoors!

With hundreds of people in attendance, it's a great way for the community to connect and spend time with their families.  It's a great opportunity for the businesses of Barrie to celebrate with their community as well.

We have some amazing sponsors that are proud to be a part of our event including Kids CBC, Scholastic Canada, Red Cross and Today's Parent Magazine

There will be lots of great activities for the kids, and all for free!!! 
Face Painting
Characters
Arts and Crafts
Story Time
and so much more!!!

Plus we will have a community marketplace for some great vendors to showcase their goods!

For more information on our Community Celebration, please email info.barrie@momstown.ca

Planes Trains and Automobiles!

What a fun theme we have going on this month!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles has been a big hit with the kids!  There are so many neat things you can do surrounding transportation.  Crafts, stories, snack and so much more!

Yesterday our Toddler Time turned into a pretty active parking lot with lots of cars, a road, a ramp, trucks, trains and more!
The kids had a blast taking turns putting their cars down the ramp and driving them around.  This event was not just for the boys!  The girls had a blast getting in to the cars and racing them around the floor and down the ramp!

It was really cute to watch how well the kids played and how little they argued over the toys!

We had an awesome turn out and the moms new and old had a great time getting to know each other!

CHOO CHOO!!! Train snacks for our Jr. Chefs!

Jr. Chef is one of our core events

Getting the kids in the kitchen to help with making snacks and meals is a great way to spend time with them and to help them learn.

Today we made Choo Choo train snacks that were super simple but oh so fun.... and delicious!

The ingredients were simple; marshmallows, pretzels, cheerios and peanut butter!

We had fun making the train, and of course the kids had fun eating it... some were digging in before their trains were complete!

Next month we will be doing a Valentine themed Jr. Chef!  Can't wait to see the kids have more fun with food!

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Oh and it snowed... and is still snowing.

I have to admit I love the snow.  I will take 10 feet of snow over the bitter cold. 
I just wish I had someone to shovel my driveway for me!

Being a Canadian you learn to accept our long cold, snow filled winters.  You accept it but you don't have to love it, or you can learn to love it.

As long as it is not cold, the snow is very welcome.  As a family we can do so much in the snow; build snowmen, go toboganning, make snow angels, or just run around in it and enjoy it.

The cold on the other hand, it can stay away.

So while I hate every second I have to spend shoveling my driveway, I do love how pretty the snow makes everything, the opportunities for fun play time and of course the sports that it brings.

Now that my driveway is shoveled, and already starting to look like it needs it again, and I have filled my swear jar from having to shovel by hand while my neighbours around me enjoy their snow blowers, I think its time for some family fun!  To the hills for some sledding!

Advertising Sales Representative Required!

momstown.ca is the leading mom-focused social media and event business in Canada. We are an on-line and in person network for neighbourhood moms wanting to connect for support, conversation and just plain fun! With a fantastic event calendar and lively 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!
Job Description – Advertising Sales Representative

momstown Barrie is currently seeking self-motivated, energetic and enthusiastic individuals for a rolling 6 month contract position as an Advertising Sales Representative. In this exciting role you will be responsible for selling local online advertising and sponsorship opportunities. Your work will entail finding and building relationships with potential and existing advertisers and effectively pitching for advertising budgets. You will ensure that booked campaigns are run smoothly and are reported on in a timely manner.

This is a commissioned based part-time role working out of your own home with flexible hours.
Responsibilities:

Sales
o Responsible for selling online advertising and sponsorship opportunities
o Generate sales leads, cold calls, develop client relationships
o Prepare and present proposals to new and existing clients
Administrative
o Maintain client log
o Collect ad artwork from clients by deadline
o Complete monthly ad tracking/booking sheet
o Track monthly sales and invoice momstown Barrie for monthly commission
o Load all ads onto momstown Barrie ad server by deadline
Qualifications:
o Outgoing, dynamic leader who is creative, organized, highly self-motivated
o Strong communication & interpersonal skills
o Strong computer skills and internet savvy
o Must have a reliable computer with internet access
o 2 years+ experience in sales and /or marketing

Pay Structure:

o Independent Contract work – 6 month rolling contract
o Highly competitive commission based pay

If you have sales experience in your background, we’d love to hear from you. Send your cover letter and resume to info.barrie@momstown.ca