The Mom Squad

It’s that time of year, isn’t it? I can feel the stress and panic start to creep up behind me like an old, loose pair of underwear. Holidays are coming fast.

Yes, it’s a time to enjoy family and friends and large alcoholic beverages, but somehow for me it turns into striving for the Perfect and completely unobtainable Holiday Experience.

Which is why I am so grateful for the time out I have been putting myself on by going to a moms’ group I love, Mom’s Morning Retreat.

Mothering is, ironically, such an isolating experience. Do you have a supportive group of moms? Maybe you know some moms, but guess what? They are busy moms. Is there any other kind? And your mom friendship consists mainly of comparing notes on best baby foods, best playgrounds, best schools, best healthy lunches or best torture device that leaves no marks.

I have loved having a place to go twice a month where I can talk about real issues about being not just a mom, but being a whole person. Bev Gaines leads the group discussions and gives us all delicious food for thought.

This week we had a service activity of making fleece blankets for foster kids.

Fuzzy fun!

Whether we get deep or just have a laugh, we all leave feeling a little less frazzled and hopefully a little more ourselves.

Which can only help everyone around us, before, during and after the holidays, right?

Mom’s Morning Retreat meets 1st and 3rd Thursdays, Sept.-June, on Bainbridge Island and is open to moms of children of all ages. Coffee, snacks and even child care are provided during meetings.

Wendy is a mom, writer, reader, runner and singer of off-key tunes. You can find more of her writings and photos and ramblings at Let the Dog In! and join her on Facebook and Twitter.

This Summer, my family has discovered an extraordinary activity where you drive for miles with all your stuff and then sleep under the stars!  I know camping isn’t a new idea, but it is to us. I know you all must be shocked being that we live in the camping capital of the world (or maybe it just seems like that).

I have no excuse really. Other than I just never did it. My husband and i grew up in Urban NJ very close to NY and camping wasnt a priority in either of our families.

That has all changed! We are hooked. Our girls too.

What a fantastic experience for us all.

We camped at Sol Duc Falls in the Olympic Mountains and it was beautiful! *sigh* If you have never been, it is so worth it!

We were all squished in our 2 person tent, but had a blast eating outside and hiking and even just listening to the quiet.

I know we will do so much more of this before the Summer is over!

You can see more images and read a bit more about it here.

What new things will you try this Summer?

Do you have any favorite places to camp in WA?

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~Michelle is a mom of 2 who loves to sew, create, thrift~ and to be a Mom. You can read more about Michelle at her blog Falafel and The Bee (formally Noggin’ Toppers), where she has been blogging and creating since 2008.

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Our internet communities have become just as important as our geographic ones these days. People can reach across continents in a split second and touch each other with their words or images.

I often find myself searching for inspiration on the world wide web, after the children go to bed. It is my time to connect with people and refresh my creativity. The other night, while reading a Blog I frequent, I came across a call for help. For action. For Love.

Dana over at MADE wrote about her involvement with the Craft Hope
Pillowcase project. It is a wonderful cause benefiting
children with cancer.

Being a Mom, and someone who sews, I couldn’t just sit this one out. I am working on putting a package together to donate to ConKerr Cancer. This group distributes fun, happy pillowcases to terminally ill children. They have made a huge difference in the lives of so many already. To bring a smile and some small happiness to a family going through something so heart-wrenching, is one of the most important and integral parts of being human. To show compassion. We are nothing without it.

If anyone in Kitsap County would like to join me, leave a comment here with your email address and we can coordinate our efforts.

By using our internet community, we can make a difference in the world we live in!

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~Michelle is a mom of 2 who loves to sew, create, thrift~ and to be a Mom. You can read more about Michelle at her blog Falafel and The Bee (formally Noggin’ Toppers), where she has been blogging and creating since 2008.

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Keep up with news posts by subscribing to our RSS feed (it’s free!). And don’t forget to join our Facebook fan page! It’s where all the cool kids are hanging out… It’s true.

I hope for this to be the first of many posts of this nature. What is there to do with the kids around here?

The end of school is quickly approaching and if you are like any of the moms I have been chatting with, you may be asking yourself, “What are we going to do when school is out?”

Good question. Are there local activities we can do with our kids when school is out? Of course there are!

Sure, I could load you down with link after link to fun crafts to do over the summer, but I won’t. Nah. I am going to throw two links at you today so you can get those summer activity wheels turning. One link to a website with local resources for moms and families, and one link to a book written by local gals with fantastic ideas for exploring the Kitsap Peninisula. Let’s keep it simple… 

• PNW Moms. Have you been there yet? It is a FANTASTIC resource. You can locate local play groups, mom groups, library story times, businesses with activities list their programs… There is information on the site about local parks, you can connect with other moms on the site. The options available are many. There are even activites listed for teens… This is not a site only for moms with young or elementary aged children. Take a look. Browse around. Were I a betting woman, I’d bet you’d find something there to look into!
• Great Adventures for Kitsap Peninsula: Family Fun in the West Sound. It is in it’s 3rd Edition now. I bought myself a copy of the 2nd edition a few years back and I love it. It is a great reference and idea-giver for us Kitsap mamas — and families! I’ve copied a snippet from the Kitsap Adventures website describing the book: Filled with new information about local parks, trails, beaches, museums, and kid friendly activities all packaged as adventures and creative ideas families can do together in our beautiful Kitsap Peninsula. 

So there you go, families… fellow moms… A starting point to help answer that looming “summer is almost here” question, “What are we going to do???”

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