Thursday, October 31, 2013

momstown Victoria is for sale!

momstown Victoria seeks entrepreneur!

The momstown mission

Our mission is Connecting neighbourhood moms. One community at a time.

momstown.ca is a social networking, media and event company geared for moms with children aged 0-6 years old. The dual goal of each momstown chapter is to connect neighbourhood moms both online and in-person with over 20 local, in-person events monthly. Additionally, as a media company we invite and integrate brands and local advertisers into our mom dialogue.

momstown is here at the right time and the right place. momstown is part of the social networking wave that is changing the way the online world operates and how society is behaving, learning and most importantly, parenting.

Join the momstown movement

We’re looking for moms, like you, to join the momstown movement.

Are you searching for a business that is flexible and family friendly? Are you passionate about children, parenting, and connecting with like-minded mothers? How about internet-savvy, enthusiastic, self-motivated and leadership driven? Are you looking for an income, a fulfilling way to contribute to your family and an at-home business you can be proud of?

momstown is a dynamic small business to run - fun event planning with revenue earned from advertising sales and membership fees. It's perfect for a mom who wants to continue being the primary parent while owning a family-focused and mommy relevant business. momstown may be the right choice for you.


A bit about momstown

momstown is the original Canadian mom network, the only mom ‘website’ to plan regular events and achieve massive reach within the social media sphere.

Initially launched in August 2007 in Burlington, Ontario, with a focus to create a more integrated moms group, momstown was an immediate success because it met a relevant need in a unique and modern fashion. Our teacher-developed momstown educational curriculum is focused on early literacy, community involvement & local parents.

Today, with strategic partnerships with CBC Kids, Scholastic Canada and a study commissioned by the University of Waterloo on the benefits to mothers brought by momstown, we are not the only ones to recognize the value that momstown brings to a community.

Our national network of momstown influencers and bloggers, with real-life neighbourhood connections, is the host of hundreds of monthly community events for moms and is unique gem in Canada.

Our National momstown team - Spring 2012
A momstown License Includes

  • Exclusive license to own and run your momstown geographic territory
  • Revenue from all local membership fees, local advertising via online, newsletter & email advertising, event sponsorships, & social media campaigns.
  • Territory specific, social networking Website, up and running from Day one
  • License to run proprietary momstown event programming complete with in-depth 5 year momstown national educational curriculum.
  • momstown Training & Business Support
momstown is a turn-key operation, ready to be fueled by your vision and energy for your community.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Good Night, Sleep Tight at momstown Victoria Scholastic sponsored Tales for Tots


Good Night, Sleep Tight is perfect bedtime reading by international bestselling author, Mem Fox. In this beautifully illustrated story, the children beg their favourite babysitter to tell them nursery rhymes. The kids in the book want to hear these old rhymes again and again, and your kids will too!


For our craft we made spiders dangling from a string using beads and pipe cleaners. The kids loved doing the actions to the nursery rhymes in the storybook and then making crawling spider puppets in theme with Halloween! 




Congratulations to the winner of our Scholastic book prize! Join your local momstown chapter to enjoy Tales for Tots and other great programs that connect and support local families!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Mommy & Me Game Day sponsored by Mattel Game On!

momstown Victoria moms and kids enjoyed a great afternoon of family board games at our Mommy & Me Game Day sponsored by Mattel Game On! Our chapter received a Games Pack of five new preschool-age games to try, plus a bonus Uno card game for each of the moms to take home!


Angry Birds Knock on Wood was an immediate "hit" with our toddlers! They could recognize the characters and had fun setting up the "wood" blocks, pigs and eggs, and then using the catapult to launch the rubber bird toys. This is a great game for toddlers to practice their building skills and learning to take turns.
We also enjoyed trying Chipmunk Chompers. The large-headed chomping chipmunks became a favourite toy, and moms liked that there were three ways to play for different levels of literacy. It's a great game for both toddlers who are learning to identify letters and preschoolers who are already learning to spell.
Uno Moo was the overall favourite, since it was easy to play and kept the attention of our 3 to 5 year olds to the very end of the game. The barn also made a great carrying case for all the game pieces, eliminating the need for a separate box. It's also a great game for teaching colours, farm animals, and introducing game concepts like "wild card" and "lose a turn."


Our moms and toddlers also loved the high quality and brightly coloured pieces of Parrot Pile-Up and Go Piggy Go! These would make great family board games for our preschoolers as they acquire a bit more skill and patience. Each mom also got to choose their favourite board game to keep. Thank you to our gracious host, Emily, and thank you to all the moms and toddlers for sharing a fun afternoon with us! 




These games would make great gifts for any preschooler on your Christmas list. Follow Mattel Game On on facebook and check out the Mattel website for more great family board game ideas, and enter to win a Mattel Games Prize Pack at momstown.ca!


momstown Victoria hosts Alphabet Play sponsored by Post Alpha-Bits Cereal

momstown Victoria moms and preschoolers enjoyed a fun craft, tasty snack and parachute play at our Alphabet Play event sponsored by Post Alpha-Bits Cereal!  Our preschoolers and tots coloured their alphabet placemats with bright, scented markers, then matched the letters in their Alpha-Bits snack to the letters on the colouring sheet. It was a fun and tasty alphabet scavenger hunt that the moms enjoyed, too! Then we played parachute and sang the alphabet song, and at the end, each mom brought home their own box of Alpha-Bits. It was a great event!



Post Alpha-Bits Cereal has the great taste and alphabet delight that kids and moms L-O-V-E! But Alpha-Bits cereal is more than fun and games. Post Alpha-Bits cereal provides a source of 9 essential nutrients plus is an excellent source of Iron and Thiamin, so you can feel good about including Alpha-Bits in a healthy snack! Also check out the Post cereal website for great recipe ideas for Alpha-Bits cereal. 

momstown Alphabet Play will now feature a tasty Post Alpha-Bits Cereal snack in momstown chapters across Canada! Alphabet Play is a monthly program which focuses on early literacy and letter sounds. Join your local momstown chapter to enjoy Alphabet Play and many other high quality programs for your whole family!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

momstown Victoria Scholastic Books at Sing, Rattle & Read

We gave away two great titles from Scholastic Canada at our Sing, Rattle & Read program in September. "Fox and Squirrel" by Ruth Ohi is a delightful story of two very different animals who only see their differences. Yet they become the best of friends and begin to see that they may not be so different after all! 


Our baby book of the month was "Giggle!" by beloved author and illustrator Caroline Jayne Church. Our Victoria moms, babies and toddler couldn't get enough of this book, as everyone loved to press the "giggle button," which made a happy giggling sound to complement each new verse and page! 

"There's no greater thing to do/Than laugh and giggle here with you!"


Thank you to our member Jane for leading this fun program with puppets and stories borrowed from the Greater Victoria Public Library

Congratulations to the lucky winners of this month's books! Please join us again for a free drop-in storytime and Scholastic book prize draw at at Chapters Victoria on Wednesday, October 16th from 10-10:30 am. Everyone welcome! 

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

momstown Victoria Chef Boyardee Junior Chef

momstown Victoria moms & kids made Chef Pizza-roni Skillet and Ravioli Lasagne at Junior Chef this month! Chef Boyardee makes meal time enjoyable for the whole family by providing quick and easy meal ideas! Yummy enriched pasta, cheese and meaty tomato sauce, Chef Boyardee is a hot and hearty meal or snack. It’s kid approved pasta, and has no preservatives! Combine with different protein options, veggies and cheese for a new take on your regular way to serve Chef Boyardee!

The kids helped to shred the cheese and cut the green pepper and pepperoni for the Chef Pizza-roni Skillet recipe.

The green pepper, pepperoni, Mozarella cheese and Italian seasoning were combined in a skillet with Chef Boyardee Beefaroni.

The skillet was folded into a healthy whole wheat tortilla for a satisfying meal!

Then the kids got busy layering Ravioli, Ricotta and Mozarella cheeses, spinach and Italian seasoning into their lasagne pans sprayed with Pam cooking spray. 

The Ravioli Lasagnes were covered for the moms to take home and bake for dinner!

Each kid received a kid-sized Chef Boyardee apron, and each family received a gift bag with Ravioli, Beefaroni, Pam Cooking spray and a recipe booklet! Thank you, Chef Boyardee!!!


Ingredients
2 cans (2 x 425 g) Chef Boyardee® Mini Ravioli®, Beef Ravioli or Lasagna
1 cup (250 mL) finely chopped spinach
2 cups (500 mL) grated Mozzarella cheese, separated into 1 cup (250 mL) portions
1 cup (250 mL) 2% cottage cheese or Ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Italian seasoning

Directions:
  1. Spray 8" square or round baking pan with PAM®.
  2. Spread 1 can of pasta on the bottom of the baking pan. Place chopped spinach in a glass bowl and microwave for 10 seconds; drain. Spread spinach over pasta and top with cottage or Ricotta cheese, 1 cup (250 mL) Mozzarella cheese and ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) Italian seasoning.
  3. Layer second can of pasta. Top with remaining Mozzarella and Italian seasoning.
  4. Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Allow 10 minutes to stand before serving. 
Nutritional Benefits:
Adds calcium and protein.

Find Chef Boyardee on Facebook:

You can find more recipe and meal ideas:

You can also learn about the Chef Boyardee history:

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

momstown Client & Partner Appreciation Party presented by Diggit

Friends and members of momstown Victoria enjoyed delicious appetizers and cupcakes by Crumsby's, Diggitini cocktails, a butler in a tuxedo, a slideshow from some of our 300 events over the past year, and brought home party favours and sunflowers. Thank you to everyone who made this a truly memorable event and year!

Mary Lloyd, founder of "Tinseltots at the Odeon," talks with local teacher and science performer, Glenn Kachmar.

Ian Kula and Kyrie Smith are greeted and announced at the party by Chambers, our butler in a tux!

Dr. Lisa Lau, ND, Martin Newham and Christina Gilbert.

One of our two gracious presenters of the evening. Thank you Erin Richards and Connie McConnell for being so much fun and for making this evening of gratitude possible. 

Thank you to Crumsby's Cupcake Cafe for supporting momstown over the year and for providing the wonderful venue and catering for this event!

I am especially grateful for my members!

Candies and chocolates from Diggit and Tuscan Sunshine soap from Dragonfly Dreaming!

Thank you Diggit for being a fantastic presenter and event sponsor! 

Diggit is so much more than a free marketplace. They're taking a grassroots approach to bringing people together, and they have a beautiful online marketplace where local home crafters, artisans, home businesses and taste makers can connect with local shoppers in a safe and fun environment

Check out Diggit and subscribe to their newsletter!

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Jr. Sportball Class with momstown Victoria

momstown Victoria parents and kids had an awesome time playing sports and creative games at our outdoor Junior Sportball class! Our kids and toddlers stayed active and engaged with Coach Claudia as they played games that kept them running, chasing, kicking, throwing, and much more.

This 45-minute program is the perfect introduction to Sportball. Children and parents explore different sport skills through creative games, and in a full length program, children would be introduced to a different sport each week. Parents are encouraged to participate and challenge their kids according to their skill level, teaching parents new skills in introducing sports to their kids as well.

Warming up with "Coach Claudia Says."

Launching our ball rockets.

3-2-1 blast off!

Coach Claudia gets a hula hoop bracelet.

Pushing a butterfly through the window.

Bear walking through the jungle.

Hopping towards the mud.

We're #1! Thank you, Sportball!

Thank you to Coach Claudia and Sportball Victoria for this fun and awesome experience! For more information on Sportball programs for ages 16 months to 5 years and beyond, check out www.sportball.ca.


Hockey, soccer, tennis, baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf and football

Parents and caregivers can have a direct hand in a preschooler’s development through a range of Multi-Sport programs. Sportball Junior, Parent & Child and Me & My Dad programs teach children important introductory physical skills and help them develop confidence in their abilities. The programs also help adults understand proven teaching techniques that can be applied outside of Sportball classes. Classes focus on refining, rehearsing and repeating skills and playing games in a fun, creative, non-competitive environment. Classes are conducted once a week in 45-minute sessions – just the right length of time for active little minds and bodies.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

momstown Victoria Junior Chef: Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

momstown.ca is celebrating its 6th birthday this month, so at this month's Junior Chef program, momstown Victoria moms and kids made these delicious egg and dairy-free chocolate cupcakes! I love doing this recipe with my kids because it only needs one bowl (or try mixing it right in an 8 x 8-inch cake pan instead of cupcakes!) And because it's egg-free, I can let the kids lick the spoon!


Ultra Easy Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar*
¼ cup nonalkalized cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Add:
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir with a rubber spatula just until smooth. Fill 12 muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the cakey part of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on a rack before frosting or sprinkling with powdered sugar.

Variations: 

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes - very similar recipe, uses soymilk and substitutes balsamic vinegar instead of regular vinegar. Also adds in 3/4 cup frozen or fresh raspberries and 1/3 cup chocolate chips!

Black Bottom Cupcakes - makes 18 cupcakes instead of 12. In a separate bowl, cream together: 1 8-oz package of cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar and
1 cup chocolate chips. Fill each muffin cup halfway, and top with a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes and let cool completely. 

*Is white sugar vegan? Most white sugar from sugarcane goes through a purification process where it is filtered through bone charcoal (animal origin,) so some vegans avoid it. For a true vegan recipe, simply substitute another sweetener and it will be just as good! :)

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

momstown Victoria celebrates momstown 6th Birthday Bash!

momstown Victoria was one of the first of 19 communities across Canada to celebrate its momstown 6th Birthday Bash event! Over 400 local moms, dads and kids enjoyed fun activities for ages 0 to 6 with the help of local and national sponsors! These were just a few of the fun things to see and do at our event:

Loot bags, parachute play and special guests were among the birthday fun at this year's momstown 6th Birthday Bash celebration!

Kids made a fun octopus craft with our Platinum Sponsor Island Parent Magazine.

Martin Newham estimates that 80% of the kids passed The Marshmallow Test, sponsored by Investors Group!

Silk Road Tea provided healthy Iced Rooibos Tea for the Nursing/Rest Area.

Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre brought Ollie the Octopus and a microscope lab!

Kids hopped, tossed and balanced with our Fitness & Adventure sponsor in the Jr. Sportball area with coaches from Sportball Victoria.

Clifford the Big Red Dog from Scholastic Canada made a special guest appearance!


Par-T-Perfect Victoria brought Balloon Animals and a huge Crayon Bouncy Castle!

Guests were delighted with these delicious chocolate cupcakes made by Kyrie Smith, a talented baker at Wildfire Bakery.

All the toys in our Fisher-Price Little People Toy Testing area became special door prizes in our final grand prize draw!

Parents and tots could cuddle up and read with our books from Scholastic Canada in Clifford's Reading Tent.

Birthday guests also enjoyed an open kindergym, parachute play, Dora Live Colouring Station, and three amazing prize draws with 18 door prizes in total!


A big thank you to our wonderful momstown volunteers! From left: Katie, Bridget, Sarah, Melissa, Kristin and Nicole. I couldn't have done this without you!

A very special thank you to momstown.ca and Kristin Heimbecker, owner of momstown Edmonton, for providing in-person help and support at the event!

Thank you to Amanda Ingram, owner of Destiny Photography, for taking all of the wonderful photos of our event. All rights reserved.
Thanks to everyone who came out and celebrated with us!
We'll see you again next year!

Click here to find out if there's a momstown 6th Birthday Bash happening in your community!

You can see all the pictures of the event on facebook!

If you would like to be a member of momstown Victoria, sign up for your free trial membership here!