momstown Kitchener-Waterloo

momstown.ca is for Kitchener-Waterloo moms and surrounding area moms throughout the Waterloo Region such as Elmira moms, Baden moms, Ayr moms, St. Jacobs moms, and Breslau moms wanting to connect for support, conversation and just plain fun. Our blog features some of our 25+ events monthly for moms and kids aged 0-6 years old. See more at http://kitchener-waterloo.momstown.ca

Thursday, March 15, 2012

momstown Kitchener-Waterloo Families Share Their Breakfast!

Our Kellogg’s Share Your Breakfast event was a great success!  Every Thursday, momstown Kitchener-Waterloo takes over one of our local shopping malls for our weekly Mama Sip and Stroll.  Since March 8, National Breakfast Day, landed on a Thursday, we decided to share our breakfast with the visitors at the Cambridge Centre Shopping Mall.  Dressed in red, we spread the word and shared our breakfast!

The Cambridge Centre offered us a space to hand out the 48 breakfast kits we had been provided by Kellogg’s, while providing a breakfast themed craft of Fruit Loops jewellery!  It was a lot of fun to see so many children walking around the mall with their Fruit Loops necklaces! 

As various children and their parents (and grandparents!) passed our booth, we handed out breakfast kits and spread the word about childhood hunger!  Many of the children were excited to join our craft time and walk away with a craft and some breakfast!  Even the momstown Kitchener-Waterloo kids got involved handing out the breakfast kits, getting excited as they saw new children approaching without breakfast in their hands! We shared some breakfast, had some fun and spread the word!


All the awareness, the fun, excitement and full tummies that resulted from our event made all of us feel very good about supporting such a great cause!  As we reminded all the families, don’t forget to buy your specially marked Kellogg’s cereal during the month of March to help support the Share your Breakfast Campaign, and the 1 in 10 Canadian children who live in poverty!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

A Family Car for the Family Weekend - The Chevy Orlando

Jen and Nate Robertson won a Chevy Orlando from Bennett GM in Cambridge, Ontario for the Family Day Weekend.  Here is their cute story and their Tweets from Twitter of their journey:


We won! It was nearly midnight on Thursday afternoon when we heard via Twitter that we had won a Chevy Orlando for the weekend (Drum roll please...... our winner for the @BennettGM Orlando contest is... Jennifer Robertson! Congrats Jen) . We picked the car up from Bennett Chevrolet the very next afternoon. We had planned on renting a cottage for the weekend in the Muskokas and were ecstatic for the extra cargo and passenger space. We currently drive a 4 door Saturn Astra and had been staring at our pile of stuff accumulating at the front door for the weekend. It turns out winning this contest was an answer to our problems! (Hey tweeps! We won a contest from @BennettGM and @momstownKW of a #ChevyOrlando for the weekend. So we're tweeting our test drive all wkend)
When we arrived at Bennett Chevrolet to pick up the car we were given the grand tour of the car by Nora. The most welcoming and friendly sales person I have dealt with at a car dealership. My initial reaction to the car was how cute it was! Inside was especially roomy and the drive height was so much nicer than sitting on the ground in our car. I felt safer on the highway being up high. The large windscreen was also great as we both felt we had better visibility, which was especially nice when we were driving at night. Here is the car, waiting to be packed to the roof(!) for the weekend! (Picked up our #ChevyOrlando from @BennettGM thanks @momstownKW)

(All packed up! Ready to start the weekend. @BennettGM goodbye @momstownKW we're off to Huntsville.)

Just enough room to see out the back! (not shown, the back seat was just as full!)
(Stayed tune to find out why we would buy a #ChevyOrlando from @BennettGM. @momstownKW)

My husband and I are big fans of the show Top Gear so we took our turns evaluating the ins and outs of the car in true Jeremy Clarkson style. From the first rev of the engine the nicest part of the car is the automatic lights and display. Everything is right there, visible and ready to drive. Once the car is started it is silent and smooth. It was like we were gliding down the road. The steering wheel controls and cruise control also allowed my husband (who drove for the ride to the cottage) full control of the stereo without losing focus on the road, much to my displeasure. Deciding on a radio station for us can be a challenge! When radio stations became more scare as we moved north the ipod hookup was one of our favourite features. Easy to set-up and it even has it’s own storage behind the stereo so cords are strewn across the front dash.


You can see from the dash display that our ipod is hooked up, but where is it?? See that button on directly above the CD player? That opens that entire panel up so you can store your ipod, sunglasses or even lip balm.

 More than anything it’s the little things in life that matter and the little things that I love about this car are some of my favourite features. When I started telling friends about the contest I had won the one thing I kept bragging about was the amount of cup holders! Our current car was manufactured in Belgium, where there clearly are no Tim Hortons, so we only have one cup holder. This turns into me holding my coffee the entire car ride which evidently ends up in my lap!  (#ChevyOrlando has dual coffee holders. Perfect for long trips. @bennettgm @momstownKW)

Sweet victory!

A list of other small things that made me as giddy as a school girl included; lighted vanity mirrors, remote starter and the large area the windshield wipers cover!
It’s only a given that we would be stuck in traffic on our road trip. (The only good thing about being stuck in traffic is being #stuckintraffic in a #ChevyOrlando @bennettgm @momstownKW)  I’ve only come to expect traffic on long weekends on the 401 and 400. What should have been a 3 hour drive ended up being closer to 4.5 hours. Sitting in traffic in most cars of this size would usually mean watching the needle drop as you idle, parked on the highway, however, we were pleasantly surprised! When we finally got to the Tim Hortons on the 400 after 2 hours of sitting in traffic, our gas tank was still on full! (After 2 hrs of stop no go traffic @bennettgm gas tank is still full!@momstownKW)  The fuel economy and size of this tank is outstanding. Plus the mileage display on the dash lets you know exactly how far you can get when it starts getting close to the ‘E’ on that fuel gage.  


Lastly and what is most important for us, was how much our son enjoyed the car and how easy it was for us and him to travel in it. From the start everything was easier. The car seat snapped right in, the higher drive meant we weren’t hunched over strapping him in and he could still see out the window which he loves to do on long trips. For when he is a little older, this car has electronic child locks and window locks at the driver’s fingertips. Which we feel is an important feature since our son seems to already be training to be an escape artist. But how did we truly know this car was as quiet and smooth? Our son was asleep for the entire ride!  (Such a smooth ride it could put a baby to sleep. @BennettGM @momstownKW)

 We made it! 

(Leaving Muskoka. That means our time is almost over with our #ChevyOrlando from @BennettGM @momstownKW)
Thank you Bennett GM and momstown Kitchener-Waterloo for letting us have the full experience of a Family Day Weekend in a Fantastic Family Vehicle!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

The Road Trip You Loathe to Take

A road trip we never wanted to take has become reality today. Me and the boys (Dad, 3 brothers and nephew) all packed into a 7 seater SUV en route to Sherkston Shores. A road trip to prepare my parents' summer home for sale for the spring market.
It was my moms desperate wish these last couple of weeks to have it sold, to relieve my dad of the financial burden. I am sure she is laughing at us right now jammed all in one car and on a mission to carry out her wishes.
This trip is agonizing for me. I spent a lot of time down here with my mom. Long weekends, Girls weekends, hot summer weeks, and many many beach days. It was always my Get-Of-Town place, my fun place and today it feels like the Painful Place. I am hoping in time it will become the Fond Memories place.
The walls will be filled with her pictures, the bedroom still showing signs of her comfort and prescence.
Our comfort for today will have to come from knowing that she is there today, surrounding us, smiling at us and forcing us to get work done, together.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

momstown & Kellogg’s Are Giving Back to the Kitchener-Waterloo Community!

momstown wants to help Kellogg’s give back to the Kitchener-Waterloo community.  We will be distributing breakfast kits at momstown programs this week, and we’d love your support! 
In Canada, 1 in 10 children live in poverty, and are at risk of starting their day on an empty stomach. On March 8th, National Breakfast Day, Kellogg’s will be distributing mini-packs of Rice Krispies cereal nationwide, to raise awareness and reach out to children in the community.
Kellogg’s will also be donating to Breakfast Clubs of Canada and Breakfast for Learning. You can help by purchasing Kellogg’s cereals – every box equals a donation!
Join momstown KW and momstown mamas on March 8th at Cambridge Centre where we will be giving cereal kits to local families and making Fruit Loop necklaces.
Go to www.kelloggs.ca/SYB for more information.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Kitchener–Waterloo Proud of Louse-y Service

Head lice service that is.  Lice Squad Canada Inc.  offers much-needed louse-y service to residents of Kitchener-Waterloo with products and services that safely and naturally eradicate lice and nits.

This established franchise is available for sale now.

Are you ready to start your own business? Good news - you don’t have to“start from scratch” with a Lice Squad Franchise. We provide the system, training, support and proprietary services and products – like our professional clinics and exclusive use in Canada of the Louse Buster!

Women –run businesses make up 800,000 Canadian businesses - and women have a higher success rate.

The report tells us that 60 percent of self-employed women could be termed "lifestylers" – women who start a business to balance the demands of work and family. Does this sound like you?

What makes this one of the most rewarding careers and businesses? All-natural, pesticide free products, caring and desperately needed service. You will build community connections with schools, family associations and families and hear grateful comments like this:
“When we got lice a second time, I knew I couldn’t deal with it alone. The first time it had taken us two months to get rid of the problem. Thank heavens for Lice Squad. I called, a consultant came the next day and by the time she left we were all lice and nit free. The Louse Buster is an amazing machine.”   Sue, Barrie, ON
Or this from Rachel: “When my kids arrived at camp, they learned they had lice and I was told to call the Lice Squad. Thanks for saving the day! We were able to get same-day service and get them back to camp fast and lice-free.”

Louse Buster in Action
These days our service is needed more and more as lice become more resistant to pesticides AND we work to remove the health risk of pesticides from our children. This is a problem that affects 37% of children between 3-12 years of age. And it is even harder on Mom when she gets infested! Ever tried looking for head lice on your own head?
If this opportunity resonates with you and you can envision a future of running a business that truly serves other families, find out more at http://www.licesquad.com/index.php/franchising.html.



Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Another Fabulous Resource Brought to You From momstown.ca - Positive Parenting Solutions


momstown is excited to partner again with Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, to offer a free live training webinar on Tuesday, Feb 21st, 9-10 PM EST or 11 - 12 PM EST.  Choose your time! 

The webinar promises that we’ll walk away with concrete tools we can use the next day and see results. I know you'll be especially interested in learning the 5 R’s of Fair and Effective Consequences. You can watch, listen and even interact with our host, Amy. Participants are not required to have a webcam, only a computer with speakers.

You'll love the way this webinar is structured. Amy is right there LIVE, a video image of her is in the upper left corner of your monitor the whole time. As she talks with you, you'll watch her PowerPoint presentation that is packed with valuable information. She'll also stop to answer our questions about difficulties and needs when it comes to getting our kids to listen.

You will also have the option to write in specific questions and she’ll address them, right there for you!

All you have to do is RSVP (sorry due to limited ‘seats’, you MUST register on positive parenting) (http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/momstown) and then kick back and learn the proven strategies to Get Kids to Listen without Nagging, Reminding or Yelling!

Have a friend(s) that are not momstown members that you think could benefit from this training? Please Invite Them Too! Just share this registration link http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/momstown!!
A Little About Amy McCready

Parenting expert Amy McCready is the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, which has empowered thousands of parents worldwide to correct their kids’ misbehavior without nagging, reminding or yelling.  Amy is a frequent guest on the TODAY show and has also appeared on Rachael Ray, CNN, Fox & Friends, MSNBC, and elsewhere.  A regular contributor to the TODAY Mom’s blog, Amy lives in
Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two sons. http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/momstown

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Family Winter Fun Day at Steckle Heritage Farm

Family Day is just around the corner and momstown KW has the perfect event for you & your family! Winter Fun Day at Steckle Heritage Farm.
The Farm in the City!
FREE.   FARM.   FUN.   FAMILY. 

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