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It Takes A Village: Local Moms' Groups and Play Groups

January 20, 2015
You know the saying: "It takes a village to raise a child." It's so true! Whether you are a new parent, a soon-to-be mom, or a mother of 3 like me, at one time or another we all need advice, support, and friendship to help us navigate the roads of parenthood. Here's some information on local moms groups and play groups. If any sound like your kind of "village" reach out and learn more about joining. All are currently welcoming new members like you!

MOPS
For over 40 years moms have found community through MOPS. MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers (and preschool means prior to school, ages 0-kindergarden). MOPS warmly welcomes any mom that has at least one child age 0-Kindergarten. By joining MOPS you will find friendship, community, resources and support for you as a woman and mother. Our children ages 0-5 are cared for in an affordable on-site setting while we listen to speakers, do crafts, talk about parenting issues, and eat brunch together!

When is the last time you had an uninterrupted cup of coffee? If you’re looking for friends for you and your preschooler, as well as encouragement to be the best mother you can be, please come visit us. Our meetings follow the ISU school calendar, and we host play dates at local parks during our summer break.

Interested in joining?  Email MOPS of Bloomington-Normal by visiting www.mops.org and typing in your zip code in the “Find A Group” tab. You’ll be connected with our current leadership team. We’re all volunteer moms so the contact person occasionally changes as new moms step up to lead this group! No local membership fee, but an optional MOPS international member fee of around $25 per year gets you a one-year subscription to a MOPS mothering magazine, weekly email messages from the national MOPS nonprofit and the MOPS theme book of the year. Childcare fees are $5/week for first child and an additional $1/week for every additional child.


Lexington Mothers of Preschoolers
Lexington Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPs) welcome mothers who are pregnant or have any children aged Kindergarten or younger. We meet on the first and third Wednesdays of each month (September-May) at the First United Methodist Church (108 S. Cedar St. Lexington, IL 61753). We are a non-denominational group of women that share advice and enjoy Christian fellowship with each other while our children are engaged in Christian learning activities with volunteers.

If you would like any further information or have any questions please email lexilmops@gmail.com.


Mom2Mom
Mom2Mom is a ministry that strives to build a community of mothers united in the mission of raising the children God has entrusted to our care. We'll be meeting Friday mornings, 9:00 - 11:00, from September 12, 2014 - April 24, 2015 at Calvary Methodist United Church in Normal (corner of Raab and Towanda - close to Prairieland School).

We are a mom’s group that started in 1989 in the home of Jill Savage, a stay-at-home mom who wanted to connect with other moms. As the group grew, it became housed at Eastview Christian Church, where it remained many years. Mom2Mom moved to Calvary United Methodist Church in the fall of 2012.

A typical month of meetings includes 2 speaker days and one Care Circle day and Mom's Connection Time:
  • Speaker Days - A speaker will give a presentation for about 45 minutes and the remaining time will be spent discussing the topic and engaging in care circle time.
  • Care Circle Days - A brief topic will be introduced, but the majority of the time will be spent visiting with the moms in your care circle.
  • Mom's Connection Time - This is a time of getting to know your moms and their children at a location to be determined by your care circle leader. We believe stronger relationships can be facilitated in a less structured environment. MCT can be during the typical Mom2Mom hours, in the evening or whenever is most convenient for the moms in their care circle. MCTs usually occur on a Friday where Unit 5 is off school.
In addition to Friday mornings, Mom2Mom offers other activities that are open to any mom who would like to participate in them, such as book studies and Mom's Nights Out.

Yearly dues are $20/mom and $50/child wiith $120/yr maximum fee. (There are about 22 meetings at Calvary, which averages to about 44 hours of childcare for $1.25/hr). For moms, the fee covers the cost of speakers, programming expenses, & paper products. For children, the fees cover supplies, snacks, & weekly childcare fees in Lamb2Lamb.

For more infomation find us on Facebook: Mom2MomCalvaryMethodist or email Tirza Wolf at tirza_1@hotmail.com.


Mom's Morning Out
Mom's Morning Out meets at St. Patrick's of Merna Catholic Church (at the corner of Rt 9 and Towanda Barnes). We meet Friday mornings from 9:30am - 11am. All moms are welcome and childcare is provided. We do a variety of activities throughout the year including a home business expo, trick or treat activities, and have a variety of presenters.

For more information please contact: Karen at louismom10@gmail.com or Corie 309/830-0465


MOMS (Moms Offering Moms Support)
MOMS meets during the school-year at East White Oak Bible Church in Carlock from 9:30 to 11:30 AM in the Banquet Room. See the full calendar by clicking HERE.

Childcare is available $2/child/week with a maximum of $8/family/week. For more information, contact: Shari Weitekamp at scout8898@hotmail.com or Crystal Larkin at crystal.larkin@aol.com.


Marvelous Mamas
You guessed it! This group of mamas are marvelous! With a mix of mama-only events such as book club, pottery painting and more and kid-friendly play dates and group outings, this group is fun for both mom and the kids. The Mamas in this group truly care about one another and take time to get to know each other. In this group you'll find playmates for your children and great friends for yourselves.

This group is for Mamas who want to meet on a regular basis. There are guidelines in place asking members to be active in the group. If you are want to come out to play you will not only have an awesome time, you will meet some of the most friendly and supportive families around town. Membership dues at $10 per year due in March. Click HERE to learn more.


For more information about any of these groups please visit their respective websites.

If you know of a group that would like to be featured in this article, please email me the information at melissaA@macaronikid.com