momstown Music & Movement with Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes and Broadstreet Dance

momstown Music & Movement
with Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes

and Broadstreet Dance

Saturday, March 16th

1:30-3:30 pm 
Dance Victoria
111-2750 Quadra St. 

Stroller entrance is through the back parking lot.

$5/child or FREE for momstown members

On March 16th, momstown Victoria moms and kids will get a chance to channel their inner dancers and ballerinas! We have an exciting Music & Movement event sponsored by Broadstreet Dance taking place at Dance Victoria to celebrate the DVD release of Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes.

Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes is a new release which is will be available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD on February 26th, 2013. 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.

Little ballerinas will love the new line up of Barbie dolls, accessories and a playset so that they can 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!

Broadstreet Dance will be doing both a Dance to the Music class and ballet demonstration, and each child will get to take home a themed craft from the event. And of course, everyone is encouraged to come in their best dance or ballerina outfit and bring their favourite doll or buddy with them. 

This is event is FREE for momstown members! If you're not a member yet, simply register online for your FREE 4-week trial or sign up at the event!

Enter to Win a Barbie™ in the Pink Shoes DVD!

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.

To enter the contest, please leave a comment in the section below about why your child loves Barbie™. One entry per email address. Make sure you sign in with your email address so we can contact you if you have won (or if you don't have an account, please leave your email address in the comment).

Contest open March 1-31, 2013. Winners will be drawn on March 31, 2013 and contacted via momstown.

momstown Victoria Discovery Field Trip: Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary

Our momstown Victoria Discovery Field Trip this month was to Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary! Our moms, babies and kids were given a hands-on and humourous introduction to each of the creatures that live at the Nature House, beginning with Wrinkles, the resident turtle. We learned interesting facts about turtles, such as that they come out of the lake to lay their eggs on the first hot day in June, and that Franklin is a "fake" because turtles can't remove their shells!

Next, we met Licorice, a beautiful black garter snake. Each child got to hold or touch Licorice (if they wanted to, that is!) The children learned that snakes are dry and not slimy, and that Licorice smells with her tongue and hears with her chin.

Lastly, we met a nice, bumpy, lady toad. We looked at her ear drums and let her sit on our hands, and Scott told us that because she doesn't have an upper bone in her mouth, she uses her eyeballs to swallow her food. Unfortunately, Ms. Toad wasn't hungry for the worm we offered her, so we'll have to take his word for it!

Afterwards we walked down to the lake and fed the ducks with flattened oats bought from the Nature House. We explored the boardwalks and floating bridge, looked for wildlife, and we certainly did find some! We saw a group of lean cormorants hanging out on one of the floating piers.

We had a fun time and some great memories to take with us! Thank you to Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary for showing our toddlers and preschoolers the animals that live at the Nature House. Swan Lake offers a wonderful program called Biology Buddies for ages 4 to 6 years, where kids can learn about topics like Fabulous Fossils, Sounds of Spring, Wildflowers and Bodacious Bugs in a series of 2-hour drop-off sessions. Please check it out, and tell Scott you heard about it from momstown Victoria! ;)

Sign up for your FREE 4-week trial with momstown today, and join us at our next Discovery Field Trip to the Sidney Museum! Our membership is chock full of amazing value, and when you sign up or renew your 1-year momstown membership in 2013, you'll receive a BONUS 1-year Today's Parent Magazine subscription! Contact us at info.victoria@momstown.ca for details.

momstown Victoria Baby Book Club: "Welcome, Baby!" by Barbara Reid

"Welcome, baby, welcome!

All the world is new,
And all the world is waiting
To be introduced to you."

momstown Victoria moms and babies enjoyed circle time together and shared an essential baby board book by Barbara Reid, called "Welcome, Baby." The beautiful message and bright pictures of Reid's trademark Plasticine artwork would make this board book a perfect addition to a baby's first book collection.






Congratulations to this month's lucky winner of our Baby Book of the month from Scholastic Canada! Scholastic also sponsors our monthly Tales for Tots program at Chapters and next month's Mama Book Club at Story Studio. Your momstown membership includes access to these great literacy support programs and so much more. (Plus you get to hang out with the nicest, coolest and smartest bunch of moms ever!!) Try us on a FREE 4-week trial today!!!

momstown Victoria Tales for Tots Welcomes Local Storyteller, Jennifer Ferris

Today at momstown Victoria Tales for Tots we read  "The Very Hungry Bear" by Nick Bland, about a bear who makes a deal with a polar bear. The illustrations are bright and whimsical, and the rhymes and the bolded words help the reader to bring the story to life for young listeners. This is a wonderful book that parents and kids will love to read out loud together!

We also welcomed Jennifer Ferris to our Tales for Tots program! Jennifer has been active for 20 years in schools, at community events, nature sanctuaries, schools and festivals. Through her work and volunteer activities in the community she has used story to engage and entertain pre-schoolers and their parents. This year she has been busy as the president of Storytellers of Canada - Conteurs du Canada but always finds time to tell a story. 






We are so pleased that Jennifer will be sharing her stories with us each month, and today she engaged our group of parents, toddlers and preschoolers with delightful stories about a little bear cub to accompany our book! 

After story time we did a polar bear craft together! We used tissue paper to make our bears fluffy and put stars in the night sky. 

Congratulations to the lucky winner of our book! momstown Tales for Tots sponsored by Scholastic Canada is on the third Wednesday of every month from 10-11 am at Chapters Victoria! Grab a coffee and join us in the wonderful children's area for a story time and craft, and enter our contest to win the book of the month!

momstown Victoria coordinates over 20 events each month to connect and support moms in Greater Victoria! Our 1-year membership is only $45/year per family and includes a BONUS 1-year Today's Parent subscription! Click here to register for a 4-week free trial!

Soozsports and Yoga Therapy with Dr. Suzanne Flannigan, PhD

Dr. Suzanne Flannigan, PhD, triathlete and
owner of Soozsports and Yoga Therapy

SoozSports and Yoga Therapy offers a variety of customized and highly individualized coaching programs geared toward two groups of people: those who want to become more active, vibrant and healthy; and, those who want to improve their competitive performance in general fitness, swimming, biking, running and/or triathlon.  

SoozSports and Yoga Therapy also offers individual and small group (10 or less) yoga classes in a beautiful and serene yoga studio. Yoga sessions help individuals calm the mind and rejuvenate the spirit while releasing stress and strengthening the systems of the body. Yoga sessions improve flexibility, strengthen the core and remove physical, mental and emotional toxins from the body. 

In addition, SoozSports and Yoga Therapy offers specialized mini and small group yoga sessions. These programs are specifically tailored toward the needs of each specialized group. Our yoga programs will increase flexibility, decrease tightness, build strength and energize the entire body.

"I have a PhD in Higher Education, am a 200-hour certified and registered yoga instructor, and I am a Canadian National Coaching Association Level 2 Coach in triathlon (and will be doing my level 3 assessment in less than 2 weeks.) I have been an athlete all my life, competitive in swimming, gymnastics, track and field, cross country, and triathlon. I have done yoga most of my life as part of my athletics. And, I have celiac (a gluten allergy) so am well-versed in nutrition."

Follow Soozsports on facebook and twitter!

Suzanne is offering a $5 drop-in yoga session for momstown Victoria members on Wednesday nights for 12 weeks only, from February 20th to May 8th. Space is limited and signups will close on the Monday night prior to the event. You must a be a member to attend! Not a member yet? Try us FREE for 4 weeks and you'll have access to this yoga class and many more great events to connect with other moms around town!

Meet the Membership Ambassador of momstown Victoria: Dominique Jones

Dominique Jones has been the Membership Ambassador with momstown Victoria since December 2013. This means she has the awesome job of talking with all the members, fielding questions, collecting comments, and meeting with the mamas to get them as excited about momstown as she was when she was a new member. Working directly with Victoria’s momstown mama Melissa Hogg, Dominique loves to collaborate on ideas and to help with the organization of events that give momstown the uniqueness of being more than a playgroup. Totally in love with being a mom in Victoria, you can meet Dominique and her son at a lot of the events, or drop her an email with any inquiry you may have at dominique.jones@momstown.ca. 

Now Hiring: Advertising Representative for momstown Victoria

momstown.ca is an on-line 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!

Are you looking for a way to channel your creative energy? Are you a positive, out-going person inspired by parenting, early education and community? Are you looking for a fun, flexible, part-time job? Then joining the momstown Victoria team could be the answer for you!

Job Description – Advertising Representative

The Victoria community of momstown.ca is currently seeking a self-motivated, energetic and enthusiastic individual for a rolling 6 month contract position as an Advertising Representative. In this exciting role, you will be responsible for selling online advertising and sponsorship opportunities. Your work will entail finding and building relationships with potential/new advertisers and effectively pitching for advertising budgets in the Greater Victoria/Capital Region. You'll make sure that booked campaigns are run smoothly, reported on and that the clients will re-book.

This is a part-time role working out of your own home with flexible hours.  This will involve some time to be out of the house and meeting with your prospective clients. If you have children, some childcare arrangements will be necessary.

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 and for monthly commission

o Load all ads onto momstown ad server by deadline

Qualifications:

Outgoing, dynamic leader who is creative, organized, highly self-motivated

Strong communication & interpersonal skills

Strong computer skills and internet savvy

Must have a valid driver’s license & reliable vehicle

Must have a reliable computer with Internet access

Preferably 2 to 3 years experience in sales and/or marketing

Pay Structure:

Independent Contract work – 6 month rolling contract

Highly competitive commission based

Free membership to momstown Victoria

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, please submit your resume and cover letter no later than March 15th, 2013 to info.victoria@momstown.ca.

momstown Victoria Jr. Chef Recipe: Playgroup Granola Bars

momstown Victoria moms and kids baked the "best ever" granola bars for this month's Jr. Chef! These granola bars from Allrecipes.com were so easy to make, and the kids loved helping out by measuring the ingredients and 'painting' oil onto the baking pan.

Playgroup Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup wheat germ

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, salt and raisins. Make a well in the centre and add vegetable oil, honey, egg and vanilla extract. Mix well using your hands and pat into the baking pan.

3. Bake about 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown. Cool 5 minutes and cut the bars while still warm. Do not let the bars cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Tips:

• Don't rinse out the measuring cup between measuring the oil and the honey; the oil will help the honey slide out of the measuring cup.
• Substitute dried cranberries and chocolate chips for the raisins.
• Kids can help out by "painting" grease on the baking pan, "dumping" pre-measured ingredients, and "squooshing" all the ingredients together using their hands.

Our Jr. Chef program runs on the 3rd Saturday of every month at High Point Community Church in Vic West. We learn basic kitchen skills, enjoy playground time, and eat or take home a delicious treat! This is also a great weekend playgroup to connect our momstown members who miss our weekday programs. 

Not a member yet? We coordinate over 20 events each month to connect and support moms with young children, working moms, stay-at-home moms, single moms, pregnant moms, and moms with older children too!!! Join us FREE for 4 weeks!

momstown Victoria OverJOYed Baby Basics sponsored by Fisher-Price

momstown Victoria

OverJOYed Baby Basics

sponsored by Fisher-Price!
Tuesday, March 12th

9:30-10:30 am

Medicine Moves Dance Studio

841 Fisgard Street

Our Baby Basics Special Event will include our wonderful Baby Picassos mini art session, circle time, potluck snacks, refreshments, and four amazing Fisher-Price toys to raffle off at the end of the event! Bring a friend and you'll both receive an extra prize ballot in our special prize draw!*

Here are the fun toys we'll be playing with!

Baby Basics is our mama & baby program designed for moms with babies aged 0 to 12 months looking to connect with other moms with infants. Our Baby Basics program includes guest speakers, "Baby Picassos" art sessions, and Baby Book Club sponsored by Scholastic Canada. Each session includes loads of chat time to get to know your local moms in momstown.

You must be a member or on a 4-week free trial to attend! You can register online or at the event. Our membership is only $45/year which includes access to 20+ events each month and a BONUS 1-year subscription to Today's Parent Magazine! Join in the fun and start connecting with other moms in your neighbourhood today!

*increases your chance of winning only. One prize per family.

momstown Victoria Valentine's Day Crafts at Uptown

momstown Victoria hosted a fun and crafty playdate at Uptown Shopping Centre on Valentine's Day! We made footprint heart crafts, valentine hearts and handprint cards with Victoria moms, grandmoms, babies, toddlers and preschoolers!

momstown Victoria coordinates 20+ events each month to connect and support moms in Greater Victoria! Love being a momstown member? Refer a friend and we'll add one month to your membership when your friend buys one too! Our membership is only $45/year and includes a BONUS 1-year subscription to Today's Parent Magazine! Register today to gain access to ALL of our great events during your FREE 4-week trial! 

How to Write a Valentine's Day Love Poem

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and it's not too late to do something really special for your loved one. Write him or her a love poem. It costs nothing but a little time and thought, and it will last much longer than dinner, chocolates or roses. Here are five easy tips for writing a love poem.

1. Choose the tone. Your tone depends on how you feel about the person, and also the feelings you want to inspire with the poem. Will your poem be lighthearted and funny, sweet and nostalgic, or deep and serious? The tone of your poem will help to inspire the form and the words for it. 

2. Choose the form. Rhymes or free verse? Sonnet or haiku? Your tone can help you to choose the form, but there are no rules for matching the right tone to the right form! You may decide to write a serious rhyme or a hilarious haiku. 

3. Use common literary devices. Draw comparisons using metaphors ("my love is...") and similes ("my love is like...) Consider all of your five senses (touch, taste, sight, sound, and smell,) and look at nature or your everyday surroundings for inspiration. Is your love wild like a storm or delicate like hummingbirds? Sweeter than strawberries or stronger than steel? 

4. Edit your poem. Most writers find that writing IS editing!

5. Be genuine, not perfect. Write from the heart, and the poem will emerge. Or as Keats wrote, "Beauty is truth, truth beauty," and that is all you need to know about writing poetry, as well!

Top 5 Ways to Spend Valentine's Day with Kids in Victoria

Looking for something special to do on Valentine's Day? Here are five wonderful ways to spend Valentine's Day with babies, toddlers and preschoolers in Victoria, BC.

1. momstown Victoria is doing Valentine's Day crafts at Uptown Shopping Centre on Thursday, February 14th, 1-3 pm for ages 0 to 6! We'll be doing Valentine's Day crafts for all ages, from babies to preschoolers to school age. Cost is free. http://victoria.momstown.ca

2. Enjoy a delicious treat with your tot at Crumsby's Cupcake Cafe! Everything on their menu is made from scratch and as wholesome, healthful and local as possible, and they have wonderful play areas for children at both locations, in Estevan Village in Oak Bay and at the Schoolhouse on W. Saanich Road in Royal Oak. momstown Victoria members also receive a 10% discount with their momstown ID card!




3. Visit the library! There are a number of free drop-in storytimes happening:
Family Storytime at Bruce Hutchison, 10:15-10:45 am
Baby Time at Nellie McClung, 10:30-11 am
Family Time at Juan de Fuca, 10:30-11 am
Baby Time at Bruce Hutchison, 11-11:30 am
Visit www.gvpl.ca for more info.

4. Greenglade Community Centre is having a Valentine's Day Kindergym on Thursday, February 14th, 9:30-11:30 am for ages 12 months to 5 years. Join them for heart-shaped cookies and cinnamon hearts! Create a Valentine's Day card for someone special and create decorations to hang on your fridge. Don't forget to wear you favourite red outfit! Cost is only $2. http://www.crd.bc.ca/panorama/events/greenglade.aspx

5. Walk along the Westsong Walkway. Begin at Songhees Point and walk along the Victoria waterfront to West Bay. This easy 3 km walk has an even path, gorgeous waterfront views, and is stroller accessible.
http://www.trailpeak.com/?cat=hike&con=trail&val=6528

Happy Valentine's Day from momstown Victoria! Love being a momstown member? Refer a friend and we'll add one free month to your membership when your friend buys a membership too! :)

Crafts, Painting, Sports and Parachute Play at momstown Family Fun Day Event 2013

Victoria moms, dads, grandparents, babies and kids enjoyed the morning of BC's first Family Day with our momstown Victoria community! Our momstown Family Fun Day event began at 10 a.m with a Family Walk across the Selkirk Trestle bridge, followed by free activities with local sponsors at the Victoria West Community Association until noon. Families enjoyed mural painting, Valentine's Day crafts, kindergym, Sportball, snacks, prize draw and parachute play!



Investors Group consultants, Martin Newham and Christina Gilbert, were the title sponsors of our free community event, and also provided a Valentine's Day craft, helium balloons, and awesome prize draw for 3 family passes to Saanich Parks and Recreation facilities!

Victoria West Community Association provided the kindergym equipment, playmat, toys and books for babies and toddlers. We loved seeing the families reading and playing together!

Coach Lee Richardson of Sportball Victoria provided junior and multi-sport activities for the kids and toddlers and was running a full class by the end of the event! He also gave away a Sportball t-shirt and jersey in our prize draw as well as a Sportball birthday party. 

  

Thank you to 4Cats Arts Studio in Oak Bay for donating the paint supplies for our mural painting activity! They also provided a free Artist of the Month Gift Certificate for our prize draw, valued at over $150! Curator Ally gave us some great tips for colour blocking the canvas, and the kids did a wonderful job of adding the artwork. 

 

We just LOVE giving away stuff! Here are just a couple of our lucky winners...

  

   

And it wouldn't be a momstown event unless we pulled out the big parachute! We did parachute songs, games, and created a giant "mushroom" to sit under!

 

We had so much fun! Thank you again for sharing part of your Family Day with our momstown family, and thank you to all of our local sponsors for their generous support!

Our next momstown Victoria family event is the Easter Bunny Hop on Saturday, March 23rd, at Pearkes, and this one is members only! Not a member yet? Register for your free 4-week trial and you'll get access to all the events on our calendar for 4 full weeks!

Remember, when you sign up or renew your momstown membership for only $45/year, you'll receive a BONUS 1-year subscription to Today's Parent Magazine ($16.95 value.) Click here for details.