Family-Friendly Fitness Studio in East End of Toronto!

Some of you have already been out to Beaches Fitness for the Baby Basics Program, and some of you have been able to come out and do a few classes... for those of you who still not had a chance to check out the new family-friendly fitness studio in the Kingston Road Village, this is your chance!  Come out, check out the studio, try a few free classes and join in the Children's Party!  The Kingston Road Village Spring Festival is on Saturday, June 2nd and Beaches Fitness has lined up a day of fun for everyone!

Beaches Fitness is a family-centric fitness studio for everyone.  With classes that suit all levels and personalities, you will for sure find a class that you love!  Most of the classes are kid-friendly, so even a parent can find time to take care of themselves!  The 800 sq ft group fitness studio is open to a large lounge and play area, so the kids are never far away and they can socialize and play with the other children while you work out!  Currently, Beaches Fitness offers Pilates, Yoga, Circuit Training, Pre-Natal Classes, Mom Fitness, Stroller Fitness and Zumba, as well as many 30 minute Power class options.

This Saturday is the Kingston Road Village Spring Festival.  Beaches Fitness is proud to be part of the Kingston Road Village and is excited to offer free classes and a Children's Party all day!  Come on out and try a few classes, there will also be some great specials offered for everyone that attends the Beaches Fitness Community Launch Party between 9am - 5pm on Saturday!

There will also be a few give-aways for some lucky attendees!

For the younger infants, I do have a built-in baby-sitter... but, she is not quite old enough to be left in charge yet.  She is a great helper though and loves to sing to them and bring them toys from the baby toy baskets.  With bouncy chairs, rocking chairs, exercausers, play mats and a swing, there are a ton of ways to keep the younger ones entertained and safe.  As for the older children... well, they have a kitchen, train table and tons of toys to keep them happy through-out the class.  For most of the toddlers, the best part is joining their parent for the cardio bursts and running along side the adults!

For more information about the studio, feel free to check out the website or email Sandra anytime!  Here is a quick run-down of next Saturday's schedule...

9am - FREE Core Strength Vinyasa Flow Yoga

10:15am - FREE Kids Yoga

11am - FREE Children's Party - Games, Crafts and Fun!

1pm - FREE Zumba

2:15pm - FREE Power Core

3pm - FREE Intro to Pilates

4:15pm - FREE Power Circuits

***Please make sure you let me know you are with Momstown Toronto... there will be a special give-away just for Momstown Members!***

Looking forward to meeting a lot of my new neighbours!  See you out there!!!

Sandra

Fogel Photography Teaches Us Their Tips and Tricks!

Want to learn how to get that perfect picture of your baby?  How do the professionals do it?  On Monday, May 28th at 1:30pm, the moms that join the Baby Basics Program will have a chance to learn from an amazing family photographer!  Krista Fogel of Fogel Photography will be coming in and spending some time with the moms.  Learn some tips and tricks that you can use at home or out in nature to capture a beautiful picture of your children.


When my first daughter was born, we received a very generous gift from a close friend for a photo studio session for our new family.  I have never been a huge fan of being in front of the camera, but I was excited to get a family photo done with my new family.  We got there and we were taken to a back room that had cold, hard floors and white walls... it could have been a large closet.  To "transform" the room, we were given the choice of a couple backdrops and some "props".  They even had a few toys for us to prop up with our baby... we had brought her favorite toy, so we opted out of the random toy idea.  When we left this studio, we were happy with the pictures and we did order prints.  Nothing about this was really a bad experience, just nothing special.  What turned us off from the portrait studio was the follow-up service we received.  When we went back in to pickup our prints, they had printed more than we had ordered, plus some weird collage they decided we would love... and it would all only cost us a little more.  My husband stood at that desk fighting to just get the prints we ordered and to get out of there.  They bullied and pressured him until he almost snapped... most tired parents would have caved, which is what I am sure they counted on.  For years to follow, we received phone calls to come back in for an updated photo.  We asked numerous times to be removed from their list, but the phone calls did not end until we moved to another city and changed our phone number.

(Just to be clear, this is not a picture of my daughter's...
just yet another great shot by Fogel Photography)

After my second daughter was born, we wanted to get an updated family photo, but we knew we never wanted to return to a corporate photo studio again.  Yes, there are some great ones out there, but our experience scared us away for a while.  Then, I saw a posting for "mini-sessions" with Fogel Photography at Lil Bean n Green Cafe in Leslieville!  I already spent a lot of my time at the cafe and it was only $40 for a mini-session and 25 Christmas Cards.  What did I have to lose?  So, I signed up.  Krista was amazing!  She hung out with my kids for a while and got so many beautiful and candid shots of my girls.  When she sent me the prints, it was impossible for me to chose just one.  (I had to, but it took me forever!)  Once I chose the shot to use for Christmas cards, I asked Krista for the prices on getting some prints.  There was no pressure and the prices were reasonable!  I ended up getting a 5x7 and I still have it staring at me at this moment.  The picture may be 3 years old now, but it still makes me feel warm and fuzzy.  Just a sweet picture of my girls.  Krista managed to capture the love between my girls, plus highlight their unique personalities and features.  As my 2 girls were on the couch hugging, Krista got a shot from above... you can see the love on their faces and the curl in Elliott's hair... for anyone that knows my girls, their expressions in the shot says it all.


So, to make a long story short, when it came to finding an expert to bring in for the Baby Basics Program, Krista jumped to the front of my mind.  She has a great rapport with kids (and their parents) and she knows how to get some great shots.  Krista has found a lifelong fan in me, so I am super excited to have her come in and teach us some tips and tricks!



If you would like to join us, Krista will be at the Baby Basics Program this Monday (May 28th) at 1:30pm. We meet at Beaches Fitness at 862 Kingston Rd.  If you have any questions or would like to join us, email me at sandra@momstown.ca and I will be more than happy to help you out!


Looking forward to meeting all the new moms and learning from the expert!
Sandra

To check out Krista and more of her work...
Website: www.fogelphotography.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fogelphotography
Blog: www.fogelphoto.wordpress.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/fogelphoto