My whole life, I couldn't wait to be a stay-at-home mom. It was a dream of mine--something I knew I was made to do.
When I was 27 years old we had just moved to a new town with our family. We actually moved to my husband's hometown, where his parents still lived. He had a full-time job for the first time since finishing his Master's Degree. I worked until our son was 7 months old, but now it was time for me to live out my dream of staying home with him!
By about the third day of being home alone with my baby all day--in a new house, in a new town, with no friends of my own--I started to feel lost. It's not like there wasn't work to be done. I was surrounded by boxes and all the tasks you need to do when you move to a new town. It's also not like I was itching to work again--I loved the freedom of taking care of our son all day.
But, I felt alone. I wasn't bored, but I felt aimless. I seemed to no longer have my own identity. After a few long months when it hadn't gotten any better, a friend asked me if I'd heard of MOMS Club.
I did some research and discovered that MOMS Club is a national organization with local chapters. They host monthly local playgroups, field trips, service projects, and Moms Nights Out--just to name a few of the staple events.
I timidly went to my first MOMS meeting at our local library. It didn't take long to realize the other Moms were friendly, helpful, caring, and insightful. They were easy to talk to. We had so much in common because we were in the same stage of life. And we were in it together!
I was in that club for four years. I belonged to this community of women who helped me through the early years of parenting at home. They helped us transition when we welcomed our second child into our family. And how to be supportive to other moms who might be going through their own transitions.
When we moved to Avon, one of the first internet searches I did was one looking for a local MOMS Club. I joined again.
Today, some of my favorite ladies I know, I met at MOMS Club. It's been awesome to see our kids growing up at the same time. We keep up with some friends via social media, and some local ones have ended up in the same schools as our kids. I know I am part of this community who would support each other during any stage of life.
What you can expect as a member of MOMS Club of Hendricks County:
- Monthly plan and play meetings with a guest speaker: Estelle from Lets Play Music with Estelle has led a class for the kids and presented to the Moms about her classes; and a photographer (who is also a group member) has talked about how to take quality photos at home. Next month's speaker is about achieving your goals and dreams!
- Monthly birthday parties
- Dine To Donate: supporting local organizations.
- Service Projects: From sending boxes to The Troops, to donating items and hosting a craft for the kids at Sheltering Wings while their moms had a group session, there are lots of opportunities to make a difference.
- Trips to the Hearth at Prestwick: to visit with the residents, do an activity, and eat snacks. A Halloween costume parade is happening in October.
- Play & Clean events: Picking up litter, (washing hands!), and then playing at a local park.
- Meet-ups tailored to certain ages: Baby playdates, after-school park playdates, and morning coffee meet-ups for moms with kids in school.
- Monthly Moms Night Out: Fun activities hanging out with no kids. Plus, there will be a Couples Night Out added some months to get the Dads to be friends, too!
Events are scheduled at varying times of the day--taking nap time into consideration--and to tailor around stay-at-home and part-time working moms' schedules.
Come Meet Us!
MOMS Club hosts quarterly Open House events. The next one is October 7, 2019 10:00AM at Avon Town Hall Park, where they will be making trail mix to take home. Potential members are welcome to join at any public event--just let the club know you're coming via Facebook or email so they can look for you.
Any mom in Hendricks County is welcome to join! There are other chapters in other parts of Indy for non-local women. Membership is $25/year, and the club tries to keep all activities free to little cost.
Contact MOMS Club:
MOMS Club of Hendricks County on Facebook
