Canada Day Style 2014

Happy Canada Day! A year ago Missy Miu was in a stroller and I was trying to stop her from eating her Canadian flag.

I've kept up tradition by having her wear a Canada Day themed outfit. I decided to join her.  Picked up these cool Tees from Old Navy.

A Mamalicious Year In Review

A year ago Missy Miu was 4 months old and I was one lonely Mama.   I knew there were groups of Moms who were getting out and keeping each other company.   I was experiencing so much despair that the thought of being sociable would paralyze me.  Many of the Mom outings were a bit of a commute.   Going to work entails a 52 km drive one way.  The long trips to mingle with the baby became another excuse not to get out.

I soon realized that at this point maternity leave was going to be sad experience.  The only way to get around this was to create my own group.   I mean surely I would be a social butterfly if it was my group.   If I planned events in my area then the excuse of a long commute would be removed.

Thanks to Meetup.com I was able to get some great ideas and form a mommy group Scarborough Pickering Mamalicious Mamas.   Almost a year later we have over 200 Mamas.   Many going through the same predicament of loneliness.  

We are all excited about being a parent, but were not really forewarned that sometimes it would be difficult to find other children for our little ones to mingle with,  peer support and things to do. It's pretty exciting to know that we had Mamas participate in almost 200 events.   I would like to thank the volunteer Mama's who host many of our outings.

Our group has evolved.   We have new Mamas and Back to work Mamas.   We are listening.   Even though Moms are returning to work they still want to keep in touch with each other.  They had lots of baby questions and they have now turned to toddler questions.

I'm excited about out first Weekend Mama event taking place next month on a Saturday.   Any member can attend however it is a great opportunity for back to work Mamas to catch up with each other and for their toddlers to mingle.

We have accomplished a lot with the Mamalicious Mamas and would like to continue.     We have some great ideas and are looking forward to working with businesses in the community.

I am back to work,  juggling family life but excited about upcoming developments for the Mamalicious Mamas.

Our Holiday Diaper Drive Event

Hi Friends, we are excited to announce our First Mamalicious Mamas Holiday Diaper Drive.All Diapers collected will be donated to the Pregnancy Help Center of Durham (Ajax Location) located at 572 Kingston Rd., W., Pickering Village. www.pregnancyhelp.ca.

Diaper need is the struggle to provide babies and small children with clean diapers. Diaper need is defined as having to cut back on essentials, like food, utilities, medicine and child care in order to afford enough diapers for one’s children.

Did you know:
- 3 in 10 Canadian Mamas know a Mom who cannot afford disposable diapers
- Daycare facilities typically do not allow cloth diapers
- Many public laundry facilities cloth diapers to be washed in their machines for sanitary reasons
- In households experiencing diaper need, babies may be kept in wet, dirty diapers for extended periods of time- Mothers cut back on basic essentials, like food, utilities or child care in order to afford enough diapers for their child

We will be accepting new packages and opened packages of Disposable Diapers. These can be dropped off at Treehouse Play and Café.

All sizes are appreciated however there is a need for sizes NB, 5 and 6.

How else can you help?
-Spread the word.... Let your contacts know via Twitter, Facebook (and groups), and other forms of social media.
- Let family and friends know verbally, text or email..
- Deliver your friends donations to the drop off site.

This event starts Sunday, November 24th - Sunday, December 22, 2013. We have an alternate time and drop off site for Sundays which will be announced soon.Need more info? Please contact us in the comments area.

Thank you.

Infant and Toddler Nutrition

Missy Miu and I were shopping one day at Loblaws in Pickering. Before leaving I went upstairs as I usually do to feed her. There was a lady in a white coat outside the Cooking School door. Being one who is always looking for an opportunity for the Mamalicious Mamas, I approached her.

She introduced herself as Lisa Ireland a nutritionist with Loblaws. I asked her if there were any topics that would be of any interest to my Mamas.

JACKPOT!

Turns out that she would be happy to present an educational seminar for my group. We arranged and set a date for a presentation on Infant and Toddler Nutrition. We had twenty-one Mamas in attendance.

Lisa informed us of:
- the nutrition requirements of breastfeeding moms
- various types of infant formula
- introduction of solids to baby
- sample meal plans It was very informative. I look forward to setting up more educational events for the Scarborough Pickering Mamalicious Mamas.

posted from Bloggeroid

Strollerfit at Thomson Park

We have two awesome Mamalicious Mamas.... Mellisa and Heike. They have volunteered to lead our group for exclusive Mama Strollerfit routine.

We have had a very good turnout at Thomson Park where we meet every week.

Mellisa and Heike are friendly Mamas, but they worked us hard. They would even check our posture during some of the excercise routines.

The hour long excercise session wraps up with weight resistance and ab routines while holding our babes in arms. We then sing songs to them while Heike blows bubbles.

I enjoyed the workout and my newly toned arms.

posted from Bloggeroid