I was motivated to write this post today because I’ve been blown away how my mom community has shown up and been there for me throughout the years, but even more since having Kinsley. From dropping off food, flowers, and wine on my doorstep, to helping with carpooling to and from camps and playdates for Quinn, to just simple text check-in’s… it has all been so incredible. I was brought to tears this week by a friend who recognized I was having a horrible camp drop off with Quinn and I basically ran back to my car in tears. She texted asking if I needed a coffee then left wine, flowers, and the famous Met Market cookie on my doorstep. That sweet gesture reset the tone of my day and I knew I wasn’t alone. I believe having a strong mom community is essential in the mental health and wellbeing of a mom (espeically a new mom or mom of young kids).
Being a mom is fricken hard no matter how many kids you have, so finding like minded moms you can vent to, get support or advice from, or just share a glass of wine and talk sh*t about your husband with is so important 😉 I know it can be really hard for some to find their people and build a strong mom community, so today I thought it might be helpful to share how I built my mom community in Seattle.
We moved to Seattle from the Bay Area when Quinn was only 4 months old. I left behind my friends, who were also having babies, and my sister’s family and basically started over. I also left behind my private practice, Honest Nutrition, to become a stay at home mom. When we showed up in the dead of winter in Seattle I didn’t know anyone but Ross’ family.
At first I signed up for Fit4Mom meet-up workout classes. I thought this would be the perfect fit for me, but it ended up not being my scene. I know in other areas people have loved these classes, but the classes I went to were not for me. Here is what did work for me and how I’ve created the best mom community.
Baby Classes
When Quinn was about 6 months old I signed us up for a weekly creative dance class (if you’re in Seattle I highly recommend these classes). I made a handful of girlfriends I still stay in contact with and are awesome people. I have signed up to start taking Kinsley to these classes in the fall. I also signed up for a few other music classes with Quinn and always felt better getting out of the house and being around other moms in the same season of life as me.
Friend Intros/Mom First Dates
These can be awkward, but you have to just say yes and go for it. I’ve gone on a few flop mom dates, but friend intros is how I met Heather and most of my friends in Seattle. When I first moved to Seattle, my SIL invited me to a girls brunch. I only knew her, so I felt a bit anxious showing up to a brunch full of moms who were really tight already, but I knew I needed to get outside of my comfort zone and meet new people. I luckily sat right next to Heather and we clicked immediately. This group of girls welcomed me into their group and we are all still friends.
My friend who now lives in Chicago has a good friend who lives in Seattle with a daughter similar age to Quinn. Once again, while awkward to go on those initial mom dates I reached out to her and we totally clicked as friends and she introduced me to a lot of great kids spots and classes in the area and she’s just an awesome friend to have.
You have to put yourself out there and be open to meeting people and getting through the awkwardness in order to build a friendship. It’s weird making friends later in life, but it’s so worth putting yourself out there vs. isolating at home. You automatically have something in common to talk about….kids!
Park Outings
I actually met a great friend at the park. I was there with Heather and started chatting with another mom and offered her a can of wine (duh Heather and I had canned wine at the park lol) and we became great friends. I think this is a good test BTW- see if the mom will drink at the park with you…that’s how I knew we’d be friends 😉 (It was at least 4pm don’t worry).
Social Media
While social media has a lot of downfalls, if you follow the right accounts it can be a place of community. This is something that drove us to start our blog and IG in the first place. We are SAHMs who wanted a creative outlet and a place to connect with other likeminded people and moms. We hope that our blog can help you feel a sense of community in motherhood. We try our best to share our real life with you and help normalize the daily highs and lows of being a parent to young kiddos.
xx, A
