It seems like there is nothing out there for us "Working" moms. For instance, all the Mommy & Me type of things are during the week, during the day. OK, so what if working moms want to go to a Mommy & me group? I guess we don't get to participate. Maybe other areas have things for working moms, but not here - nothing that I can find so far. I really want to socialize Julianna with other babies and I think it would be fun to meet other moms with babies around the same age as her.
So it made me think about starting my own group for "Working moms (or working parents) & babies". Why should we be left out in the cold? We should have our own play group, right? I think I might do it for a Sunday evening or Saturday mid-morning, maybe once a month. I have to come up with some ground rules but I am thinking about trying to limit the group to working parents only with their babies/young toddlers.
I also know I need a venue. I can't have it at my house, it's too small here, not to mention my crazy jack russell will terrorize the visitors. LOL. When it's nice out, we can do it in the local park - but if it's bad weather, we need a fall-back place. I also need to figure out what to do for the actual group - do we just make it a play time event and everyone can socialize how they please? Or do I charge a couple bucks so we can have some refreshments and snacks too?
Has anyone ever been involved with something like this or organized a playgroup before? Any suggestions or advice is greatly welcomed! :)
You can start a group at meetup.com. I have a couple of friends who are very active in meetup groups. Of course, this will only work if you want to meet new moms in the area. If you already have mommy friends in mind, doing an evite is good. Meeting in a park is great but for our babies' age, make sure that the play area is not concrete (too dangerous for our babies who still fall down a lot) or mulch (they will eat it!). Look for a park with padded floors so the kids can explore and you won't have a heart attack each time they lose their balance. If you plan on doing this once a month, you can actually go big and go some place fun like the zoo or a fun indoor venue, something where all the moms can pay for their own entrance fees. My only tip is that if you end up going on a play date in a place other than someone's house, don't forget to keep wiping baby's hands so they don't get the germs when they put their hands in their mouths. Of course, a thorough scrubbing during bath time after the play date is also a must. Haha! I wish you didn't live too far, I'd totally go on a play date with you guys! xoxo
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I have no suggestions but I think it's a fabulous idea. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteCount Jake and I in - - - I would definitely chip in a few bucks for refreshments and/or snacks. The park sounds great and maybe even that Giggles place if everyone was willing to pay the entry and meet there. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteYeah I've been trying to find the same thing here in JC. I joined the JC Moms group on Meetup.com but all of their stuff is during the week so I can't attend anything. It sucks that here isn't much for woking moms.
ReplyDeleteMy sister got me a book called Crafty Mama. It's designed as a guide to do a Mom's group where you complete a simple craft at each gathering. I haven't done it, but it's a cool idea. You'd still need a venue ... but thought I'd throw it out there for ya! Church halls tend to be a good meeting place. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I can't believe how much Julianna has grown!!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good idea! It's been a sore spot for me for a while now...I want to do play groups, but there just aren't any in the evenings or on weekends. I'd never considered starting my own. I know when Kaia was little I was able to go to some where each mom brought their own snacks and paid for their own admission to any special events. I know our church would let play groups meet there, and I expect others would too. And I know a church near us has a playground that they let supervised kids play at for free. And I bet the library would let you reserve a room...but then you'd have to bring your own toys. I really like the idea you mentioned about going somewhere once a month. I suppose there's a ton of possibilities! Good luck...let me know how it goes!
ReplyDeleteCarla
Thanks everyone - You have all given me some fabulous ideas. I am giving myself a 2 month timeframe to come up with a plan ...
ReplyDeleteI'm in birthday mode first and formost... then I'll think about the playgroup. It's always something isn't it?
SKye :)
Such a good idea...I wish we lived in the same town. I would totally want to be a part of this playgroup!
ReplyDeleteWish we lived closer, her and Kylie could be great friends :)
ReplyDelete