Modern Mama Launch Party

I’ll be giving a mini-workshop this Friday, July 11 at the Modern Mama launch party.

Modern Mama is a great service for moms in Edmonton.  It offers activities for moms to enjoy with their babies, but these aren’t your typical mom and baby activities!  These are outings to the art gallery, spa visits, luncheons with guest speakers, and beauty and fashion advice.  Nannies are on-hand to help with the babies so the moms can relax and enjoy themselves.

The launch party for Modern Mama is being held on Friday, July 11 from 11 am to 4:30 pm at the Riverbend Library. Activities include a baby photo shoot, mini workshops, a play area for kids and more.
For more information check out the Modern Mama website or blog

June Workshop Schedule

I hope you are enjoying our warm weather, but before you head outside in the sun, take a few minutes to register for an Exploring Motherhood workshop.

There are still spaces for Exploring Motherhood workshops in June. If you are interested in attending, now is the time to register. The following workshops are being offered in June:

Saturday, June 7 (10 a.m. to noon) – Who Am I, Now That I’m a Mom?
This workshop explores the changes that come with motherhood. Participants will have the opportunity to  explore personal questions about being a mother. There is also time for discussion with other moms.  The opportunity to talk with other moms is one of the highlights of this workshop according to participants.

Saturday, June 7 (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.) – My Maternity Leave is Ending – Now What?
Is your maternity leave ending? Are you unsure whether you want to go back to work? Are you thinking a career change might be what is best for you and your family?  This new workshop will explore the different aspects of career decision-making that apply to moms. Individual career advising and assistance with resume preparation and interview practice can be arranged.

I’m creating a workshop schedule for the summer, but if you’d like to arrange a workshop for your moms’ group, please contact me. We can arrange a workshop at a time and location that is convenient for your group.

The cost to attend is $25 per workshop or $40 for two workshops.  This means you can attend both workshops for $20 each, or you and a friend can attend the same workshop for $20 each.  The workshop space at the ASAC office should be nice and cool if the weather is warm.

If you have any questions, or to register, visit http://www.lifeslearning.ca

Workshops in Red Deer – More details coming soon

I’ve been working on arrangements to offer some workshops in Red Deer. I haven’t got all the details worked out yet, but I’m quite confident I’ll be presenting in Red Deer in the fall.  So, if you’re in or around Red Deer, and you have some requests for which workshops you’d like to see, please let me know!  Watch here for more details.

Preview of Baby Books for Busy Moms

For those of you who weren’t able to attend the workshop Baby Books for Busy Moms on the weekend, here’s one suggestion for keeping track of all of the cute, funny, annoying and funny things your little one is doing: create an email account where you can send messages about your child. Instead of finding the baby book, and then finding the right place to note your observation, send a quick email to your child. For example, you could write:

Dear Munchkin, Today you were playing with blocks with your daddy, and he showed a picture of an apple. He said, “apple” and you replied, “a–pull.” You repeated your new word over and over, and it always sounded like it had two syllables. You were so proud of yourself! We were surprised you picked up a new word so quickly. We are always excited to see you learning new things and figuring out how the world works. Love Mommy.

You could also provide the email address to your spouse or partner, and other family members so they could contribute too. You could also send copies of all those baby pictures and messages you send to family members to this address so they would all be saved together. The email program will also automatically date each message, so you’ll know exactly when it was sent. There are probably ways for sharing your messages with friends and family members, too. Post a comment if you have any other suggestions.

After I thought of this idea, I found another blog with a posting about this same idea. The author shares how he uses gmail for this purpose, and he offers some suggestions for saving your messages too.

If you are looking for other ideas about how to record all the important moments in your child’s life, check out the workshop, Baby Books for Busy Moms. This workshop looks at why we feel we need to keep track of our baby’s development, what we really want to record, and how we can fit it into our busy lives, so we don’t miss anything important. This is not a workshop about scrapbooking, and you don’t need to have a baby book to come. It is a workshop that would be of interest to moms and moms-to-be. The activities in the workshop, and the strategies for record keeping, would also be relevant to moms with school age children too. Here’s the workshop schedule. I can also present a workshop to your moms’ group at a time and place that are convenient to you.  Please contact me to find out how to arrange an in-home workshop.

Workshops in May

Mothers’ Day is coming up. Why not take some time to reflect on your experiences as a mother? Join us for a workshop this month. What could be a better gift to your self than time and space for yourself, and conversations with others who can share the ups and downs of being a mom?

What Makes a Mother?

Saturday, May 10 (10 a.m. to noon) – ASAC Office, Edmonton, AB
This workshop will explore what it means to be a mother and what influences our individual and cultural ideas about motherhood. Participants will have the opportunity to examine their ideas about motherhood and how they can shape their own vision of motherhood. Suitable for moms-to-be.

Baby Books for Busy Moms

Saturday, May 10 (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.) – ASAC Office, Edmonton, AB
This new workshop looks at ways to record your journey as a mother and your child’s development. You’ll leave with practical tips for keeping track of all the milestones in your family’s busy lives from pregnancy through the teen years.

To find out more about these workshops or to register visit www.lifeslearning.ca