http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/PrintArticle.aspx?e=1187717
Website helping moms to get out of the house
MOTHERS REACHING OUT FOR SUPPORT
Posted By NICKI CRUICKSHANK
Posted 1 year ago
Stacie Miller's cosy home can sometimes feel more like a prison to her. She's desperate to get outdoors, but the thought of organizing an outing with two little ones often has her opting to stay confined to her living quarters.
"Taking two kids out of this house is a job in itself some days," said the Barrie mom. "Packing up, going in the car, them maybe taking a tantrum -- it's just not worth it sometimes."
Though she loves being a mother to her sons, who are almost three and seven, Miller felt as though she was losing herself in the mix.
That is, until she found an online group called Momstown that was meant to connect local moms.
"When I read about Momstown, I thought, 'What an incredible thing for moms,'" said Miller, who is now the community manager of the Barrie Momstown chapter.
"When you become a parent, your own life gets put on hold. But having this group gives women their identities other than 'mom' back.
"I wish I'd have known about this when my first son was born," she added.
That's exactly what motivated Ann- Marie Burton and her business partner, Christi Rasheed, to launch the Momstown website, www.momstown.ca,in August 2007 in Burlington.
A chapter in Barrie,barrie. momstown.ca,was created in early August 2008.
"I moved to Burlington with a one-year- old daughter and lived on a street where there were no young children," Burton said. "I was stuck in the house and felt trapped. I didn't know how to meet other mothers without seeming strange and just going up to them.
"I searched for an online mommy group, and found (Rasheed's) group, and we became good friends," she added. "We started thinking about creating another mom group and turn it into a business."
The beauty of Momstown is women don't have to feel awkward about meeting new people, Burton said.
"This site is a way for moms to log on and chat with one another in the Barrie community," she said. "It's kind of like Facebook for moms."
She said the group is meant for moms with children ages five and under, who aren't in school yet.
The website offers a message board where women can post questions, advice or just vent about their problems in motherhood. There's also a calendar where family outings for moms and their children to attend and have play dates.
"Children consume your life, and this group is a mother's way of carving out a piece of the day for her," she added.
Burton said she could see a need for a Barrie chapter, too.
"We had women asking us why there wasn't a group in Barrie, and women seem to be latching on to the idea," Burton said. "They're joining quickly, and it's a combination of women on maternity leave and stay-at-home moms who join."
Momstown has proved to be a life saver for Innisfil resident Karrie Copelli, who also runs the Barrie chapter.
She works from home, so she's stuck there all day and longed for a way to squeeze in some time for herself, and talk to adults instead of her one-year-old.
"Getting a chance to talk to adults when I'm around my kids all day is great," the mother of two said. "It's nice to hear stories from other moms, and I've made a lot of girlfriends through Momstown.
"It's definitely gotten me out of the house more," she added. "I love going to the group outings. Because, if I just stay at home, my daughter's always following me around and anything we watch on TV is what she wants, not me."
With two daughters, who are one and 10, keeping her busy, Copelli said she can't wait for the next Momstown event.
Events for September and October include art in the park days, waterfront walks, mom's night out at a local bar or restaurant, apple-picking days at an orchard in King City and a Halloween party scheduled in October. Contests for women and children are also running on the website.
"Getting out is so important to me, and I look forward to seeing the ladies at an outing," she said. "It's a great way to get moms away from the computer and out in the community. It's also great to help socialize our children and have them meet other kids."
Burton said the website has helped her as a woman and mother, as well.
"With this website as my job, I can still be home with my kids," Burton said. "We're just a couple of moms who thought this would be a good idea to have going.
"We are fully participating members ourselves and we need this group, too."
For more information on the Barrie chapter of Momstown, visit barrie. momstown.ca.
Contact the writer at ncruickshank@thebarrieexaminer.com
