Everyone is familiar with the saying "it takes a village to raise a child" and as mothers, I'm pretty sure each and everyone one of us has, at one time or another, wondered where the rest of the village was hiding, shirking their duties to a crying newborn or fit-throwing toddler.
I talk about momstown A LOT, and people often ask me two main questions: where I found momstown, and what it is exactly that a moms' group does. So, I'll answer those questions here for everyone today, because I believe the answers bear repeating, and the benefits of a moms' group, specifically this moms' group, are innumerable and should be had by all.
I was already a new mom when I found momstown, although I wish I'd found it much, much sooner. My daughter was just over six months old, and I'd been cloth diapering her (and I was the only person I knew who used cloth diapers). I thought I'd look for some one-size AIOs, and dashed to the internet. I had a brand in mind, so I went on a search to see if they had what I was looking for. I was pleasantly surprised - they did! But the wholesaler wouldn't sell me small quantities, obviously, and I'd never seen these before at any baby specialty store, so I sent an email inquiring as to where I could find these diapers in my area. The only place, they told me, I could find them was at
The Baby Market Place, an online store that, as it turned out, is based here in Sherwood Park. Even pleasanter a surprise was that my mom offered to buy the diapers for me. At that time I was lonely and overwhelmed and never got a thing done - so she looked into it for me, and discovered that you could get free shipping to my house with a momstown membership. Even better, a trial of the membership was free! And better yet - there was a promotion going on that gave you a free 6 week trial, instead of the usual 2-week trial! It all made sense.
Those six weeks opened my eyes - there was a whole world of moms out there who also used cloth diapers, and also struggled with breastfeeding and also had babies who wouldn't sleep more than three hours at a stretch.
This leads me into question number two. What does a moms' group do? Well, a lot of things, actually. momstown has events every day of the week - you can always find something to do with other moms in your area, even during the day when your old friends are at work, and bringing the kidlet along is no problem, and there are big holiday-based events where the whole family can come and enjoy. Better yet, there are Mom's Nights Out, where you can go out and talk at lengths about your child without boring the pants off of anyone. Those are amazing benefits, and they've kept me coming back again and again, but they're not really the main draw for me.
The main draw of momstown is this (I'm actually tearing up a bit as I type this - bear with me); momstown is a community. It's a support system for every mom out there who's ever been frustrated or fed up or felt helpless or didn't know what to do. It's advice, experience, and help. I've found lifelong friends at momstown (and since the cost of membership is nearly nothing, I don't have to worry about losing this group) and have found a whole world outside of my life that I didn't know existed and couldn't otherwise have tapped into. It's not just a playgroup - it's a group of friends, and a safe place for us moms to be who we are, do what we do, and help one another.
By: Jen Schimanke
Snow Pea Portraits
