Mommy Discounts

This was one of those crazy weekends. I am pooped... Feeling behind with my school assignments. Not getting enoug sleep. Worried about C's Mom. And I believe MIssy Miu is having her first bout of diaper rash at 23 months.

On the bright side, I actually did my nails (successfully) since returning back to work 10 months ago. I am always in a rush and wake up with the bed sheets imprinted in the polish. This time I bought a new polish instead of pianting my nails with an old bottle from 4 years ago. Which is why my nails never dried properly.

Loreal's "Royal Reinvention"

I am posting a picture of the finished look even though it is a tad sloppy. I had to tend to Missy Miu after her bedtime due to the rash. I am just proud I put myself first still to get it done.

I am also thrilled because tonight I sent out a communication to the group that they are now eligible to join a membership program and receive a group discount when purchasing tickets for events, attractions or hotels.

New Year... New Events

Happy New Year Mamas!   Just wanted to give a heads up on January 2014 events:

- We have coffee at Debbie's Boutique Café and Café Mirage

- We will  have two Storytime sessions at Ray's Café

- Stroller Walking at Scarborough Town Centre and Markville Mall

- Hat Day at Creative Play Indoor Playground

We have room for 5 more events. Let us know if you have and suggestions.

We've just added Stroller Walking at the indoor track at Stephen Leacock Community Centre

Please visit our Mamalicious Mamas board for more information.

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.

Cookie Exchange Event

We will be at Creative Play Indoor Playground for our Cookie Exchange.

While our little ones play we will get into the Holiday Season exchanging small tins of cookies.

You may bake em', buy em, then savour em. (nut free food is allowed on premises).

It will be a great opportunity to share secret recipes or the favourite secret spot you bought them.

Please RSVP by Monday, December 2nd. We will contact each Mama with her picked Mama name on Tuesday, December 3rd.
Shhhh.... It's a secret....

http://www.meetup.com/Scarborough-Pickering-Mamalicious-Mamas/events/152394092/

Mama Melanie will be your host for this event.

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.

Going To The Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

Mamalicious Mamas had an awesome time at the Zoo! Zoo! Zoo! It was a nice sunny day.

We enjoyed a pleasant walk and of course the animals too. Thanks to Mama Melanie for being our host for this event.

September Happenings

I Maternity leave is now over for Lexi and myself. As we now juggle with our little ones, work, school and family life - - we are determined to maintain The Mamalicious Mamas Social Network. Currently we are 157 Mamas strong.

September is jam packed with Mamalicious events:

* Get Mamaliciously Fit with Heike
* PYO Tropical Vegetables
* Java / Tea Adventures
* The Zoo
* Anything FroYo
* Lots of Walks
* Indoor Playdates
* Bellydance Workshop ( Mama Only)
* Menu Planning Info Session

Are you a Mama or a Mama-to-be? Then The Scarborough Pickering Mamalicious Mamas is for you. Let's venture out of the house and enjoy the day.

Starting A Meal Plan

In September we have arranged for the Mamalicious Mamas to attend an information session on Meal Planning at the Loblaws Cooking School. I will not be able to attend, but I've decided it would be a good idea to explore for our own household.

I have been Googling various sites on the topic and so far I like the concept of theme dinners. This is what I have written for the week:

Monday: Pasta and left over chicken
Tuesday: Steak
Wednesday: Wraps steak
Thursday: Stir Fry
Friday: Take-out
Saturday: Barbecue anything goes
Sunday: Chicken

I also read that you can repeat your detailed menu bi-weekly. So if you have lasagna on Monday, then feel free to serve it in two weeks.

Returning to work is leaving me a little overwhelmed with time management. An area I always have trouble with. Yeah… Yeah…. I have been told I have a tendency to over think things. But my commute is 55 kilometers from away. I need to feel that my time after I get home is quality time with my family. Not to mention I have to spend time behind the scenes of the Mamalicious Mamas.

Oh. And there is my hobby of cake decorating that garners me an order every so often.

Hubby and I used to spend a pretty penny on take-out. Yes, I am back to work getting (thank goodness) a full wage, but daycare takes a chunk out of it. Meal planning for dinner will also provide for lunch the next day.

Most importantly, I would like Missy Miu to eat healthy. I am looking forward to seeing her assist with dinner after daycare. Right now she eats the paper napkins. It will be pretty cool when she actually places them on the table.

So Mamas… Do you do any form of meal planning in your home?

Strollerfit In The Park

The Mamalicious Mamas are so excited about the free workouts hosted by two wonderful mamas in our group on Mondays!

They sure make us work hard though. We power walk, squat, jump around, work on our abs, and sing and dance with our babies. It leaves us painful at the end, but its well worth it! And the babies get a good nap (usually).

M cried through the whole workout today though... She just didn't want to sit still. I didn't give in though! I distracted her with fruit snacks and managed to get through the workout.

We are so excited how big our group is getting and how the mamas are volunteering to help us host events. As you all probably know, Dee and myself are going back to work soon! Meaning we could use all the help we can get. Thanks awesome mamas!

M started her Montessori today (two weeks before I go back) so I can get some stuff done and hopefully get rid of old baby things. She did great for the hour she was in today.

On another note, Dee and myself have been frantically preparing for our picnic on Friday! We can't wait to have a Mamalicious picnic, but the sandwiches and cupcakes aren't going to make themselves. Of course with Dee's awesome baking skills, the cupcakes are guaranteed to turn out great. Hope we have lots of you join us Friday!!

Until next time...

We've Been Featured!

We had an awesome opportunity from Lovable Labels.

Once a month they do a feature on local women run businesses. Hear is the one they did on us, Mamalicious Mamas Social Network.

Lovable Labels creates a line of labels that include Regular and Slimline Stickers, Shoe Labels, Iron-ons and Bag Tags.  They are not only bright, fun and colourful but also met the high standards that parents have come to expect.  The Regular and Slimline labels are microwave and dishwasher safe, the Iron-on labels stay put in the washer and dryer, the Shoe Labels have an extra strength adhesive to ensure they won't come off and the Bag Tags are made of a durable and flexible plastic.

Thanks again Lovable Labels!

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