Help us find a NEW NAME for our "Mom's Moments" Newsletter!
| [07.08.2010]
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The planning team - Mélanie Heffern, Andi Hawkins and Nicolle Huggins - has been busy as we look to next season! Now we come to you with a request. Mom's Moments began as a newsletter, but over the past five years, it has grown to be much more! (visit www.momsmoments.ca for a recap of all that we do!)
"Mom's Moments" will remain the name of the website and organization, but we feel that the newsletter itself is in need of its very own name.
WILL YOU HELP US?
Why a new name?
First, because we've found that some women are intimidated to contribute to the "Mom's Moments" newsletter, feeling like they're supposed to be "mom" experts (but who is, really!?). Secondly, many women who aren't moms still get a lot out of the practical articles that aren't always motherhood specific: the health column, "My Story" articles, recipes, etc. Plus many women have children in their lives - nephews, nieces or students - but may just not have any of their own. At Mom's Moments, we want all women to feel welcome to read as well as CONTRIBUTE to this newsletter.
That said, we believe that a new name for the newsletter is in order. We would love for you ALL to help find a name that reflects the newsletter vision. Here is what we are about:
- We aim to empower women by giving them a voice to encourage and equip one another through this newsletter where they can share their stories, resources, recipes and practical tips, experience or expertise.
- We hope that through the newsletter, women would be challenging and inspiring each other to live more balanced and healthier lives.
- We long to simplify our days as we remind and challenge each other to live more intentionally on the homefront so that we never lose sight of the things (and people) that truly matter (this happens so easily in our rushed and hectic lifestyles today when everyone and everything is vying for our time and energy... who really misses out?)
- Women don't have to be experienced writers to share their stories, etc., the idea is that we all have something to share, and we can all learn from each other - we can help you with the writing process when needed!
- Our readers come from a wide demographic from across North America (and beyond!) with different backgrounds, cultures, traditions and belief systems, from pregnant women, to moms of preschoolers, school-aged children, teens or empty nesters, some are single, married or have blended families, some don't have kids, some work outside the home, others stay at home, homeschool or run a business from home... and the list goes on. It's a mixed readership and we love it that way as we can all learn from each other!
So in case you didn't already know... that's what the "Mom's Moments" newsletter is all about... Obviously, there is indeed practical mom-specific content in there, but the title of the newsletter should not stop someone from wanting to contribute because they don't have any children of their own or because they don't feel they are "experts" or professional writers...
With all of the above considered, let it simmer and see what names might come to mind. PLEASE take a minute to email your ideas to info @ momsmoments . ca (even if you think it's not a great catchy name... you might be onto something we can work with, send it along)!! We plan to have a vote in the fall with the top names submitted...
Eagerly awaiting each of your responses,
Mélanie, Andi & Nicolle, Your Mom's Moments Planning Team
info @ momsmoments . ca
www.momsmoments.ca
* Email us your general inquiries, comments or feedback: info at momsmoments . ca.
* To submit a contribution for the Mom's Moments newsletter, click here for more info.
* To contact a Mom's Moments team member directly, click here to go to the 'Our Team' webpage.
We're on Facebook!
| [07.03.2010]
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Mom's Moments on Facebook
Help us share Mom's Moments with others by showing your support on Facebook!
ALSO:
Join other MM moms in our brand new Mom's Moments Facebook Group!
Why join? Because you can connect with and get to know other MM moms, and more importantly, you can be a part of honest discussions about the everyday "stuff" of being a mom, sharing tips and tricks that have worked (or not worked). Want to talk about potty training? High school days? Sex ed? Marriage? Helping kids through divorce? Juggling work and home? You name it... If it's a topic that is on your heart and mind, it's fair game for discussion!
Let's encourage and learn from each other in this thing called motherhood! Experienced moms are SO welcome to weigh in and share their insights and tips as to how they cope!!! New discussion topics will continually be added, and in the future they will be linked to topics addressed in Mom's Moments articles, allowing us to hear from more of you!
Not on Facebook? We just gave you one good reason to join!
Hope to see you there ;)
Current Topics on the Discussion Board:
- Coping with bullying
- Living Through Renovations
- Juggling Work & Family
- Housework... Does it ever go away?
- Surviving Road Trips with Kids
- Introductions gals! - introduce yourself, how you found out about Mom's Moments, let's get to know each other!
When will the next newsletters be published?
| [06.01.2010]
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Both the Mom's Moments and Deeper newsletters are currently being published on a bi-monthly basis as follows:
- October/November - Anniversary/Fall Issue
- December/January - Holiday Issue
- February/March - Winter Issue
- April/May - Spring Issue
- June/July - Summer issue
We chose to not have an August/September issue which allows us to break for the summer with our families, seeing as we are all busy moms and want to keep our priorities straight!
You can read past issues of Mom's Moments and Deeper and even do a search for topics by clicking here.
Help In The Kitchen
| [05.19.2010]
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We at Mom's Moments know that when life gets busy, it's a struggle to get creative and figure out what everyone is going to eat at meal times! Like our Health Nut, Caroline, said in her first article back in January 2007, a little more planning can really help in caring for ourselves and our families! We have put together some documents that we hope will help you to cope with meal times.
1) Access our Menu Planner Templates and Samples to help you get organized and plan ahead for your meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner).
2) Find the MM recipes that have appeared in our newsletters - all together in one document for easy access! Email your recipes for the newsletter to info @ momsmoments . ca (please remove the spaces from the email address... we're just trying to reduce spam!)
3) Access Wendy Lempner's (RD) ABC's of Healthy & Fun Snacks for Children (and Parents too!) for a variety of snack ideas.
4) Don't miss this interactive grocery list to help you save time and energy!
5) Read this blog post: "10 Great Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family"
6) Need more help? Try www.dinewithoutwhine.com - A menu planning service designed for busy families (includes affordable meals the entire family will enjoy, a grocery list and all!) Costs just 1 penny to try it out.
Good luck in the kitchen as you strive to provide your family with healthy, delicious meals!
NOTICE!!
For more wonderful resources to help you "In the Kitchen" and in many other areas of life (Family, Health, Faith and more), don't miss our online resources! You'll find a great wealth of links to helpful websites, organizations and books at your fingertips!
If you're wondering what Health Nut articles you've missed in the past that may very well pertain to you... scroll below and read past articles!
Health Nut introductory and motivational article - Jan 07
Fitness:
- Physical Activity Guidelines - Part 1: Children and Youth - May 07 (and Winter 09)
- Physical Activity Guidelines - Part 2: Adult and Seniors - July 07
- Physical Activity Guidelines - Part 3: Prenatal Fitness - Aug 07 (and July/Aug 08)
- Physical Activity Guidelines - Part 4: Postpartum Fitness - Sept 07 (and Dec 08/Jan 09)
- Exercises: Feb 08, Nov 07, Oct 07, Sept 07, Aug 07, July 07, June 07, May 07, April 07, March 07, Feb 07
Nutrition:
- Recognizing Disordered Eating - Jan 08
- Listening to Hunger Cues - Nov 08
- The 10 Commandments of Healthy Eating for Parents - April 08
- Childhood Obesity...An Epidemic - Dec 07
- The Scoop on Caffeine - Nov 07
- Recommended Vitamin D & Calcium Intake (from babies to the elderly) - Oct 07
- Portion sizes for children 2 to 5 years old - Sept 07
- What's all the hype about drinking water? - March 07
- Is Organic Food Better for You? - Feb 07
- A Guide to Eating Fish for Women, Children and Families - Spring 2009
Other Health Topics:
- All About Fevers - April 07
- High Blood Pressure... What can you do? - Oct 08
- Signs of Depression - Sept 08
- Is your asthma under control? Take this Quiz - June 08
- Advice for the Insomniac - May 08
- Caring for Aging Parents - March 08, May 07
- Bladder Incontinence - Shopping for depends? - Nov 07
- Osteoporosis - Risks, Prevention & Treatment - Oct 07
- Dental Guidelines for Children; Oral Health & Pregnancy - June 07
NOTE: You can always do a search for specific topics addressed in past newsletters at www.momsmoments.ca/pdfs.
If there are any health topics that you would like to see in the Health Nut column in the future, let us know by emailing info@ momsmoments.ca (please remove the spaces from the email address... we're just trying to reduce spam!).
What is a blog?
| [01.12.2009]
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A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. It is a frequent chronological publication of personal thoughts and web links where the person writing (or blogging) is known as a blogger. The term blog is a shortened form of web log.
So WHY blog? There are many reasons to blog - on some blogs you'll find recipes, exercises or health tips and news, on others devotionals (reflections from the Bible), or travellers and families keeping in touch with loved ones with their stories and pictures, or people writing their thoughts and opinions about politics, the environment or the news of the day. Generally, the blogs we share with you here at Mom's Moments are about women sharing their thoughts about life, faith and motherhood. The idea is that by sharing their hearts and stories, others might relate, be encouraged or challenged, laugh with them and perhaps even be prompted to respond. That's the neat thing about blogs - they're interactive! Readers are invited to post their comments and reactions to become a part of the conversation.
Reflecting about our lives helps us to live more intentionally instead of just rushing through our days and feeling like we're just holding our heads above water, or missing the boat altogether at times! So you might want to subscribe to some of these blogs, or set up a Google Reader account which lets you know when new entries are posted on your favourite blogs (just a click away if you have a Gmail account!), or just keep checking them from our site periodically if you like! Here are the blogs we bring to you on our homepage under 'Our Blogs'...
* The Heart of Motherhood Blogs:
* Deeper Moments - Seeking God in our days - On this blog you will find many of Mom's Moments faith-related resources and our Deeper newsletters all in one place for easier access, as well as more women's writings and reflections about every day faith.
Have fun discovering the world of blogs! Dare to share your thoughts and post a comment on a blog! Happy Reading!
