Picasso in the Park!

Today we held our first Picasso in the Park of the season!

It's been quite hot lately, but today was cool and breezy but very sunny!! The kids were so excited to get painting we could barely get the tables ready for them to start their morning of artsy fun!

The older kids were right into the paint creating pictures and making hand prints. They were so excited to have the freedom to paint outside in the park that they were focused and having fun and were quite quiet for our group!

Even our littles Picasso today got in on the fun!! He was so interested in putting his hands in the paint... and in his mouth! Mom did a great job of trying to keep his little blue hands out of his mouth!

Some of the kids took a different root to their art. Instead of creating a picture, or making hand prints, one of our little Picassos covered her entire page red. I think we may just have a genius on our hands! Didn't Picasso have a BLUE period? Well our little artist had a RED one today!

Thank goodness for our Huggies Wipes!!! The kids were covered in paint, but it was so worth it!!! A swipe of a Huggies wipe and they were good to go!

Join us all through the summer as we enjoy Picasso in the Park and so many more fun and exciting events just for moms and tots!

Hawaiian Luau Fun!

What a perfect way to celebrate the coming summer and all the warm weather we have been having lately! Our momstown mamas and their little ones got together to enjoy a party based on our theme for the month of May, a Hawaiian Luau!

We had planned to meet at a nice park here in Barrie, but the threat of thunderstorms, awful humidity and wind had us move indoors for our party.

It worked out well and the kids were just as happy, and so were the moms! We kicked off our Luau with each tot making their own Lei, what Hawaiian Luau wouldn't be complete without a Lei!!

The kids had lots of fun doing this, even our boys!!! And even the moms got involved and fun helping the kids make thier necklaces

The kids were already brightly dressed for the theme in their summery hawaiian best and sunglasses, but they were all missing a little something Hawaiian to make their outfits complete!!

Huggies has a great new special edition diaper that was just perfect for our party, Hawaiian print diapers!

These diapers are beyond adorable and the moms just loved them! The bright prints are so fun and make the diaper wearing babies look that much more adorable! The moms loved the prints that were perfect for the girls and the boys.

The kids loved their new party perfect diapers, and the moms thought they were just so cute!

We had a picnic lunch indoors and then enjoyed a special treat, Hawaiian cupcakes! The kids loved their treat and the fun little umbrellas that adorned each. Huggies Wipes came in handy here with all the icing and sticky fingers!

momstown Barrie loves getting our families together to celebrate our monthly themes with parties like this. We have so many great sponsors that enjoy getting involved and helping to enhance the momstown expreience! You too can be a part of the fun! Don't miss out on the next great adventure with momstown Barrie, join today!

Who says a giraffe can't dance?

Tales for Tots has quickly become a momstown favorite here in Barrie. Sponsored by Scholastic Canada, we have a fantastic book each month that fits nicely with our educational themes.

This month our book was Giraffe's Can't Dance by Giles Andreae. The book was gorgeous with beautiful pictures so bright and fun that told the story to perfection.

The children loved the rhyming story about a shy Giraffe that feels he can't dance.

The kids joined in dancing as we read of animals at a Jungle party and their dancing antics. They were also sad for poor Gerald who couldn't dance.

As the story went on we learned that anyone can do anything if they find what's right for them.

The kids were so happy at the end of the story to see that yes, indeed, Giraffe's CAN dance!

As usual, and part of the fun with Tales for Tots, one of our lucky tots got to take the book home!

Thanks again Scholastic Canada!!

Racing and Building and Having Fun, Oh My!!!

Family play day events are always a huge hit with the momstown mamas. These events are a great time to get together with all the other momstown mamas and tots and have dad join them.

When you add in a fabulous sponsor like Little Tikes, you are guaranteed a huge turnout, lots of fun, lots of excitement and awesome prizes!!!

momstown Barrie was given the amazing opportunity to test drive some fabulous products from Little Tikes. Their adorable Pillow Racers and neat Tike Sticks were certainly a hit with the kids and the moms and made for a fun filled morning.

The kids absolutely loved racing around on the Dinsoaur, Turtle and Lady Bug. The older ones were cruising and racing and enjoying the 360 degree wheels that allowed them to shimmy sideways and all around.

They younger ones enjoyed the cushy ride, the easy to push racer and the big handle to hold onto... and our itty bitty ones even took a spin in hopes of having one for when they are a wee bit older!!

The moms loved the adorable Pillow Racers. They were easy to use for the younger babes, close to the ground, easy to manuevre, soft and durable. The fact that you are able to throw the covers in the wash when they get dirty just made them all the more appealing!

The older tots had a great time getting down with their friends, or their moms, to build some neat creations!!

The club house and the rocketship were a huge hit with the Tike Sticks and the Dog House and the pretty Pink Play House was just as popular!!

Building the Tike Stick creations was fun and entertaining for not only the older kids but the little ones. The big easy to handle pieces made this toy a great option for moms with younger siblings that like to get in on the action, no small parts to worry about getting lost or being choked on!

The other great detail that people loved about the Tike Sticks was that each kit is colour coordinated. No need to worry about several sets being mixed up and not being sure what piece goes with what set!!!

The Club House was a great hit. This was built and torn down and rebuilt several times during the morning! The kids loved that they could build it and then sit in, even moms had fun!!!

At the end of the morning, the excitement grew as the moms and dads learned that all of the great toys they had been playing with would be raffled off. The lucky winners were so pleased with their new toys.

Even the littlest ones, too small to enjoy the toys today were excited to have something to grow into!!

Thank you so much to Little Tikes for allowing momstown Barrie to test drive their Pillow Racers and Tike Sticks!

Happy Mama's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful, amazing and loving mamas out there! While we are moms everyday of the year, society at some point decided that a day was need to recognize and celebrate us. I think this was a pretty darn good decision! I think there are days that spouses and children and people that are not yet moms forget how much we do and how much we sacrifice as moms. Yes, this was a decision and choice we made, and one we would not change, but it is huge, it is demanding and it is hard work at times. We have let our bodies be taken over by tiny growing transforming beings for 9 months turning our once smooth bellies into mountains that never quite return to normal and are left with a road map of brightly colour marks. After 9 months of discomfort and nausea we bare the pain of child birth to bring into this world our most loved treasure. While the joy of giving birth is fantastic, the pain is not. But we do this to be moms. Some of us many times over. We wouldn't change this for the world.

As a mom we also give up many things most will take for granted hot meals, hot showers, sleep, the ability to use the washroom alone, clean shirts to go out in, sports cars for minivans, perky boobs for saggy ones and so much more. However, with all that we give up, all that we endure, all that we suffer through, we would not change this for the world. Why? Becuase the rewards far surpass the negatives. We hold our tiny babies for the first time and are instantly filled with love as tiny eyes meet ours and are filled with returned love. Tiny fngers hold our own as we feed them and sing them to sleep. Snuggles in the early morning with our sweet babies breathing in our faces. Baby giggles, and toothless smiles. Wobbly first steps, and sweet first words. As moms we get to experience so many wonderful things that more than make up for the things we sacrifice. As moms we know there is no better job in the world, no title more prestigous than "mommy" and no life that would can ever compare. Hug your moms, hug your kids and enjoy your mothers day!

Pop Bottle Planters

The sun is out, the birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming! What better time than now to start thinking about planting some flowers! Our momstown tots had a fantastic time making Pop Bottle Planters! Not only are they a great way to recycle but a great way to plant a seed!

We started off with some empty, clean 2L soda pop bottles. The kids went to town decorating the bottles! They filled their bottles with colourful stickers of flowers and bugs. Once the bottles were decorated and a nice bow tied on the neck of the bottle, we got down to business filling them with dirt that was so kindly donated by Kell's Garden City in Innisfil.

This was a messy but fun part of the activity as the kids worked hard and careful to get all the dirt inside the bottles. The kids had 2 choices of what they could plant, the could do sunflower seeds or beans. All the little girls wanted the sunflowers!!! The boys wanted beans. Go figure!

So with the seeds buried deep in the soil, the kids took their planters home with promises to keep them watered and in the sun. Stay tuned to see how our plants grow!!!

A day at the ranch

Today we made our annual Spring trip to Rounds Ranch. It was a perfect day, the sun was shining despite the threat of ran and the air was jsut a touch cool with the Spring breeze.

Rounds ranch is a great place for us to go with all the momstown kiddies. In the Spring, they have many newborn animals for us to see and learn about, as well as lots of other fun things to do around the farm.

We started our morning off with a trip on the funny barrel train. The kids really enjoyed the bumpy ride around the farm in their funny barrels. Farmer Anne had a great time watching the kiddies as she drove the tractor around and around. From here we were off to learn about the animals! There were lots of baby animals to see. New cows, or should I say calves, some baby goats, which we learned are called kids and lots chickens!!!

Farmer Anne took us into the barn where they keep the incubators for the chicks. She tought the kids about the life cycle of the chicken and showed them the eggs that had just a few more days before hatching!

The kids really enjoyed being able to go right into the pens with the animals and pet them and feed them. The baby goats were so excited and kept leaping into the air! There were a few chickens roaming the farming and one our tots thought it was a hoot to chase the chicken around!!! After some time visiting the animals we stopped for a quick snack and then it was off to explore all the other fun stuff Rounds Ranch has to offer!

The kids raced ducks, plastic ones!, then headed to the playground! Some were distracted by the peddle cars even though they were too small to ride them!

It sure was a perfect day!!! We look forward to heading back in the fall for some Halloween fun at the ranch!