Humble Beginnings of SLOCM

I posted this on SLOCM's blog when I had access to it. Strangely enough, my access was removed right after I posted it. Hmmmm...

On November 9th will be officially 6 years since this moms' group has been together. When we first started on Meetup.com, it was so much easier to get to know everyone. It was so nice to be able to make friends from all over the county and hold each other accountable by calling one another to attend events and join activities. Now with over 600 members (there were over 1,000 members at one point!), it's so hard to try to get to know everyone. It makes me miss the smaller tight-knit family that was once called the Momma Bears.

After switching from Meetup.com to Yahoo Groups, the group started becoming more known so the group was growing bigger and bigger each week but it was still manageable. People from all over would still meet up and gather amongst friends. There wasn't a separation between areas or a battle among boundaries, it was just one cohesive unit of friends that seemed to genuinely like each other.

But as SLOCountyMommies became more of an online entity rather than a face-to-face encounter, a lot of that closeness dwindled and the anonymity behind the screen became prevalent as hateful posts and disrespect became a norm. It is a sad thing really, knowing so many original members have left and gone on with their lives, some filled with hatred for the group because of a minority.

I look back at the past 6 years and think how grateful I am for having met soooooo many wonderful women and families through this group. As I sit here reminiscing over some old photos, I can't help but wonder if things would have gone differently if I never joined the Mommies Network and just kept things the way they were? Would that have made a difference?

Regardless of some of the negative things I've heard about SLOCM in the past and present, I think there has been definitely been more good that has come out of it than bad. Now that the group is essentially separated by areas, it has made it easier and more convenient for all to make friends with those who live closer to them. I mean, we still have friendships in other areas, but it has definitely made it much easier to develop a friendship with those who are nearby. It's so nice to see how many friendships have formed from SLOCountyMommies and how many women's lives have changed because of it. Still to this day, people will come up to me and thank me for what I've done and it means sooooooo much to me to know that all those days filled with sweat and tears were all worth it.

As I sit here and ponder over these photos, it makes me realize how much I miss feeling like a part of something larger. My kids are too big now to attend playgroups and other events. We now have school activities, gymnastics, soccer, t-ball, cub scouts, and so many other things to keep us busy. I realize that life goes on but I sure do miss the days when Momma Bears was once a family. It wasn't just a support group, it truly was a group of wonderful women from all walks of life that came together that just truly enjoyed each other's company. Gas mileage wasn't an issue back then, it didn't matter where we had to drive, we just drove to be with our friends.

I'm no longer an active member of SLOCountyMommies but it will always have a special place in my heart. I have met some lifelong friends and have the best group of girlfriends because of it. I don't regret any thing other than the fact that I wish I had more time and energy to develop/continue some of the friendships I have made through the group. I see so many of you out there and I just kick myself for not doing MORE. I just hope to meet new friends and rekindle some old friendships along the way. I'm just glad to see that so many are happy with their families and friends. Because in the end, that's all that really matters!

Back to my "roots"...

Maybe I'm crazy for signing up to do the blog for SLOCountyMommies (SLOCM) but I am actually pretty excited about it. I know I have a hard enough time to keep up with this one, but I just needed something else to keep my mind stimulated. I love to write but just never have a chance to do so. I am hoping that the SLOCM blog will keep me motivated. :)

Check out my debut:
http://slocountymommies.blogspot.com/

SLOCountyMommies (and I) made the news (again)!

Just wanted to share...

http://www.atascaderonews.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=1430&page=77

My final hurrah with SLOCM...

Sooo...I haven't officially announced it on the SLOCM website yet but I'm stepping down from Management completely and I'll just be a regular member from now on. WOO HOO! I am so excited. It's been over 3 years that I've been involved with the SLOCM leadership team in some way and it's time to cut loose! I'm so done with working for FREE! LOL! It was (and always will be) my baby but it's due time I let go of it and just concentrate on more important things in life. You know, like BLOGGING! haha

Moms group!

Today was the 1st meeting for our Stay-At-Home-Mommies (SAHM) Group. We had a really good turnout! We had 8 moms and 11 kids total. I was hoping for good weather and thank goodness we got it since our event was held outside. The moms were super nice and the kids were just sooooooooooooooo darn cute. I can't wait to get to know them all and spend more time with them in future meetups. Check out our site at: www.sahm.meetup.com/316