A click away

Back in the 1900's before there was the internet or phones mothers would gather around sewing circles, quilting bees, and corn huskings to socialize. At these gatherings women found friendship, support, and a sense of community. They would share recipes, dress patterns, stories of their families. They would offer advice and support one another. These women treasured their times together. They came to rely on each other during harsh times, laugh and joke during happy times, and cry together during sad times.

When I became a stay at home mother I was excited to dedicate most of my time and energy to my daughter. Soon, however I found myself desperately searching for socialization with other mothers. What had happened to all the get togethers from the past? Have mothers become so busy in the hustle and bustle of modern day life that they don't have time for one another? I started to worry that I would become a hermit of a housewife and mother who's only conversations during the day consisted of things like "the cow says moo". Finally one day online I stumbled on The Mommies Network which directed me to AsheboroMommies.com. At last I had found a place where I can communicate with other moms. A place where moms can brag about their children and not have sighs or bored looks. A place where recipes are swapped, household tips are shared, jokes are told and most of all support of other understanding mothers. I have met women who have become dear friends. Now I always have something to do, whether it is a playdate, mommy morning out, or the most desired mommy night out. AsheboroMommies has become such a blessing in my life. There I have found support, friendship, and the sense of community that I was searching for. Mothers have not abandoned the traditions from our maternal ancestors. It has just become a mouse click away.

This post was written by Debbie H, a member of AsheboroMommies.

More like family

I found BeckleyMommies just when I needed it. Like a lot of people, after becoming a parent and then a wife, friends drifted. We had different lives and different interests. I really missed that connection though. Having someone to talk to about the everyday things. One day while I was at the library looking for a few good reads, I happened upon a flier tacked to the cork bulletin board. It was the pull tab flier, so I grabbed one, trying to carefully tear it off before heading out the door and stuffing it in my pocket for later when I had some time to check it out.

That night, I pulled out the tiny scrap of paper and typed in the web address. I didn't know what I would find there, but I really wanted to check it out. Little did I know that I would find a whole new 'family' there. I registered and waited for my membership to be approved. I should mention that I have little patience and kept checking and checking my email. I couldn't tell you how many times I kept hitting that 'send/receive' button. Finally, the approval email arrived and I couldn't type the URL in fast enough. I logged in and found a nice welcome pm and a thread started on the board just to welcome me. I remember thinking how nice it was to feel welcome as soon as I joined.

It didn't take that long for me to just jump right in. What can I say? I talk a lot. I was so happy to find a community of other mom's who understood what I was going through. From the teenage temper tantrums to the everyday issues. I attended my first event not long after joining. A Meet and Greet. While I was nervous, I soon got over that as a few were very friendly.

I soon volunteered my time as the Events Manager. It was something I thought I could really help with because I have a background in event, party and wedding planning. It opened doors to so many things and so many new people. Not only was I meeting moms, but my family was meeting other families as well.

Now I am the Site Admin for this wonderful site, and I put a lot of work and dedication into it. I believe in it. I believe in its concept, in the ability to bring strangers together and turn them into friends. I have made so many and they have become like family to me. I can only hope that I am doing for everyone else, what was done for me.

This post was written by Tracey, a member of BeckleyMommies.

TMN Help Wanted!

The Mommies Network is currently a 100% volunteer organization (except our National Sponsorship Manager who receives a stipend). We are pretty much always looking for moms and dads who want to work with us...and we encourage our volunteers to add us to their resumes and reference lists. So if you're looking to keep up or beef up your professional skills think about working with us!

Below are some roles/tasks we'd love to get some help with. Please email directors@themommiesnetwork.org if you're interested in learning more or becoming a volunteer. All of these roles require someone who is self-motivated and can take a task and run with it. We're a pretty informal group and don't have a lot of extra time for training and hand holding but we're definitely available when necessary!

Press Releases - approve and help to write press releases for our Mommies and Dads communities.
Requirements: proficient in and own MS Word and have experience writing and distributing press releases

National Promotions - seek out partnerships that fit our mission, as well as find new ways to promote TMN and our blog both online and at events. May assist our National Sponsorship Manager when needed.
Requirements: Some background in promotions, excellent communication skills and a willingness to network and seek out new contacts.

Graphics - create community fliers, business cards and other standard graphics for our Mommies and Dads communities.
Requirements: proficient in and own Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Acrobat.

Grant Writing - find and apply to grants.
Requirements: proficient in and own MS Word and knowledge of grant writing process.

Blog Guest Writers - contribute stories to the TMN blog, relating to your experience as a mother (or father) and your TMN community.
Requirements: excellent written skills

Webmaster - manage and update both themommiesnetwork.org and thedadsnetwork.org
Requirements: proficient in and own Macromedia Dreamweaver (or similar), Adobe Photoshop

Insurance - research insurance options for TMN and provide quotes to the Board of Directors.
Requirements: Excellent communication skills, ability to email and phone insurance companies for quotes.

Legal - assist TMN with daily concerns regarding laws and legalities.
Requirements: background in law

Gear Pages - set up e-commerce pages for communities when they are holding a gear fundraiser.
Requirements: proficient in and own Macromedia Dreamweaver (or similar), Adobe Photoshop

Web Interface Coder - help us create new custom software for TMN and its communities
Requirements: proficient with web standards requirements for multiple browsers; coding primarily in PHP

Server Optimization - help us tune the server to maximize our performance and capabilities
Requirements: understanding of UNIX, preferably Solaris, system administration; experience with AMP stack, zones, and zfs a plus.

Please email directors@themommiesnetwork.org if you're interested in learning more or becoming a volunteer.

Mommy is not an octopus!

I am constantly telling my children this same phrase "No, mommy is not an octopus with 8 arms"...

.....or is she? I seem to have more than 8 hats that I wear on a weekly basis. From full time ER nurse, Injury Prevention educator, wife, mother, daughter, lover, chief butt wiper, maid, plumber, taxi driver, homeschool teacher, and the list just goes on.... When does mommy have time for me? That list of hats is more that just 8, so maybe I am an octopus with 8 arms or am I the typical mom that is floating around out there in the big ocean.

I joined CentralFoothillsMommies.com and just lurked for a long time, slowly posting more and more as I got to know some of the other mom's on the site. It took me a long time to actually go to an event. That was a year and a half ago, today I am a moderator of 2 forums: MOTC (Moms on the Clock) and Homeschool, in addition to being the Co-Promotions Manager of our little mommy community. I travel all over cyberspace from Facebook---to Cafemom--to Twitter and all corners in between promoting our site and searching for new members. My van and purse are full of CFM fliers and lists of ideas I jot down as I travel back and forth to work and homeschooling/church events with my 3 kids. I am always on the hunt for that perfect spot to leave fliers or the right time to hand one to another mom in the store. The best part of all is that I have developed friendships that will last until we are old and grey and need an extra forum just for "Grandmommies".

Some days I feel overwhelmed by the day by day pressures that come from being an "Octopus Mommy", but I always know that I can log in and laugh or cry with my fellow moms that are in the same great big ocean of choppy waves with me. My greatest pleasures come from just interjecting my thoughts and weird humor and knowing that another mother is smiling as she reads my posts.

This post written by Leslie Block, a member of CentralFoothillsMommies. Visit her blog at www.chipsofftheoldblock.blogspot.com

Fundraiser Results

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our Insider Pages fundraiser. Our final results were 10,675 reviews which raised $11,721.50 for The Mommies Network! WOW!

Since the fundraiser ended so early due to the incredible participation, we decided that it was not fair to award the prizes as we had previously posted. Some sites did not get a chance to participate at all due to the issues with registering on the Insider Pages website, and then the fundraiser was ended 2.5 weeks early. We want to acknowledge those sites and members who did put in the time and effort to help us reach our goal in such an amazingly short amount of time though!

Here are the top three teams:
1. TriadMommies - 102 team members - 2015 reviews
2. LakeNormanMommies - 75 team members - 1365 reviews
3. SWPiedmontMommies - 51 team members - 926 reviews

Here are the top reviewers:
1. Desirae Young - 178 reviews (LakeNormanMommies)
2. Karen Moore - 170 reviews (CharlestonMommies)
3. Kristy Collins - 146 reviews (SWPiedmontMommies)
4. Cathleen Richardson - 143 reviews (TriadMommies)
5. Lori Fleming - 135 reviews (LakeNormanMommies)

Thank you again from the entire TMN Board of Directors! You all ROCK!

Thank You!

The new server is coming! Thanks again to every member who participated in our server fundraiser. We ordered our new server this week. I can't wait to retire our current, overworked server.

Q4-08 In Review

Welcome to 2009! We're a bit late in getting this posted, but better late than never!

The Mommies Network experienced tremendous growth in 2008 and most of the Board also experienced substantial personal challenges.

For TMN, October, November and December were about regrouping. We lost our long-term technical adviser so our newest board member, Kristin Amundsen, has spent a lot of time learning her way around the server and making plans for improvements. For the first time ever we did not open any sites, and we currently have a list of over 90 moms and dads interested in applying for a TMN/TDN site for 2009.

We have not been able to open new communities because our server is overloaded. So we decided to hold an Insider Pages fundraiser in January to raise some funds. WOW! Moms + Opinons = Fast Money! Thanks to all who participated in this hugely successful fundraiser where we raised over $11,000 in just three days. Kristin is now server shopping!

We also did an overhaul of the community rules, to better reflect how our sites are connected to each other. If you have not already done so, please click on Rules (top of page) and review these. Thank you.

To help us communicate with all of you we've started a blog. Please subscribe to it so you'll be notified of updates. http://themommiesnetwork.blogspot.com/

From a personal standpoint, all five of us have faced major challenges in the past year. Two of us have separated/divorced from our spouses, two of us have made major moves due to lay-offs and new jobs, and one of us was recently laid off. We're sure many of you have had difficult years as well. We hope your local TMN communities have been and will continue to be a good source of support.

As a non-profit, we require our established communities to have two charitable drives/events per year. Here are some of the things our communities did in October, November and December:

NWAtlantaMommies (GA) did a Thanksgiving canned food drive for Must Ministries and a Toys 4 Tots drive, collecting unwrapped for kids to have presents over the holidays.

TriangleMommies (NC) did a Toys for Tots collection in December and a food drive in October, collecting 680 lbs. of food.

RochesterMommies (NY) had a "Virtual Angel Tree," anonymously helping a single mom and seven of her children through donations from local businesses, gifts from members and grocery gift cards (thru funds from a raffle that also benefited Alternatives for Battered Women).

SEGeorgiaMommies (GA) organized Lunch for Santa to benefit a local women's and children's shelter, where SEGM members as well as members of the community brought toys to donate to the Camden House and received free photo's with Santa.

BeckleyMommies (WV) collected over a thousand stuffed animals (from members and the local community) for Just For Kids, an organization that provides stuffed animals to children attending therapy in criminal child abuse cases.

LincolnCountyMommies (NE) "quacked it up" (charged a fee to decorate yards with ducks) in October and raised $380 for The Lincoln County Boys and Girls Club. They also supplied two food baskets for the Salvation Army to provide Thanksgiving Dinners for two Families and adopted a family of 10 for Christmas, providing Christmas dinner, requested gifts for eight children and stocking stuffers.

TriadMommies (NC) participated in the Give-a-Kid-a-Coat drive in October, donating 118 coats as well as $500 raised at a birthday party raffle. They also finished and delivered 54 blankets for Project Linus (paid for with funds raised during the 3rd quater). They will go to local children who are hospitalized for extended periods so that they have something comforting while in the hospital.

TooeleMommies (UT) collected food for the Utah Food Bank, donating well over 20 bags of food.

SCValleyMommies (CA) partnered with the local Sheriff's Toy Drive and donated toys to local residents and the Domestic Violence Shelter, and got Christmas Trees donated from Home Depot for the Domestic Violence Shelter as well as their our own needy moms.

LakeNormanMommies (NC) held their annual Trunk or Treat and collected food and other kitchen supplies for a local soup kitchen.

PhoenixMommies (AZ) raised over $1000 for the American Cancer Society walk in November, and collected three large boxes of donations for Crisis Nursery (child abuse prevention organization and shelter).

CrystalCoastMommies (NC) participated in a DSS foster Santa program - 25 members donated a total of 30 gifts to support the local foster care program.

SEAtlantaMommies (GA) adopted two "Christmas Angels" (children) and members donated clothes and toys. They also did a canned food drive for the Rockdale Emergency Relief.

WilmingtonMommies (NC) decorated cards for soldiers overseas through the American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heros program, held a food drive, and made cards and crafts for nursing home residents - delivering the items with plenty of holiday cheer while the children sang songs and visited with residents.

SLOCountyMommies (CA) donated 100 coats to the Coats for Kids Program as well as other items to the Women's Shelter.

GwinnettAreaMommies (GA) sponsored the Gwinnett Pregnancy Resource Center (GPRC), giving each woman a cookbook of member recipes, as well as collecting special care items like lotion, nail products, and stationary. They delivered 70 packages to the center a few weeks before Christmas to give to the women as Christmas gifts.

PeninsulaMommies (VA) held a "Put Your Best Face Forward" drive to collect new makeup and toiletry items for a local women's shelter, and collected over 300 items in a food drive.

FredericksburgMommies (VA) held a food drive benefiting the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank, collecting 1010 lbs of food and $78 cash. They also had their children make and decorate holiday cards to send to the service men and women through the Red Cross program.

CharlestonMommies (SC) collected items for the Carolina Youth Development Center, and baked approximately 16 dozen cookies for the children in the emergency shelters that the CYDC operate.

JohnstonMommies (NC) held a food drive, collecting 141 lbs of food.

DanRiverMommies (NC) collected items from members and local businesses and shipped out 20 boxes of goodies to Iraq as care packages for the platoon of a members' husband. They also received donations to help with the shipping costs.

CamdenMommies (SC) donated 10 books to Tyler's Tree a non-profit organization that collects new books to give to children that are hospitalized on Christmas Eve.

JacksonvilleMommies (FL) participated in the Susan G. Komen North Florida Race for the Cure, filled and sent Christmas stockings to the 19 men and 6 women sailors that work with a members' husband (who responded with photos and a thank you: "...your kindness definitely brought morale up and brought us closer as a division..."), and held a canned food drive.

SWPiedmontMommies (NC) had a toy drive for the pediatric wing of their community hospital, collecting over a hundred toys.

CentralPiedmontMommies (NC) adopted the Church of God Children's Home (an orphanage) in Concord, NC again, providing three gifts from each of the children's wish lists, an over-stuffed stocking, and a pizza party with Santa. Each child also received a disposable camera to use during the party (they provided a $150 gift card to pay for the film developing). The $450 in expenses were paid for via a Krispy Kreme fundraiser and member donations. They also provided Thanksgiving dinner to a local family and held a canned food drive, collected 41 cans of food and 27 boxed/bagged items for donation to the local food bank.

CharlotteMommies (NC) held a MNO Karaoke Night and raised $198 for Grin Kids, an organization that sends families with special needs children to Disney World. They also collected food for the local pantry and raised $316 by selling "blinged out" CM magnets via an online auction game, donating the funds to A Child's Place, a organization that helps local homeless children.

HighCountryMommies (NC) hosted a holiday drive for seven children who did not qualify for Christmas assistance due to their parent's legal status, providing toys, clothing, school/craft supplies and more as well as multiple gift cards to each family.

ChesapeakeMommies (MD) held "thankful playdates," collecting food for a local pantry.

KnoxvilleMommies (TN) provided toys from the wish lists of 4 local Angel Tree children this year- 2 girls and 2 boys.

SaltLakeCityMommies (UT) held a paper products charity drive for our local Children's Justice Center and a quilt tying charity event where they made six quilts to donate to Karing 4 Utah Kids.

CentralFoothillsMommies (NC) participated in Race for the Cure, raising $515. They also held a canned food drive and collected 85 lbs of food for a local food pantry.

RichmondMommies (VA) adopted a family for Christmas, collecting donations of gifts, food and gift cards at their Holiday Cookie Exchange.

Thank you all for helping us achieve our mission in such a fabulous way.

To provide a safe, secure, FREE place for mothers (and fathers!) to find support and encouragement from other mothers and to empower them to be better women, parents and community leaders.