When I first started this blog (almost three years ago now) I never imagined it would last this long. That was back in our double-income, no-kid days when the only thing I had to nurture was the Killer Cockapoo, then a puppy, and I had time to scope out the scene in town. With my transition into motherhood, the blog has transitioned a bit, too. So it will be. And so I now have become the Dear Abby of new moms in Champaign-Urbana. I have received this question (or variations of it) quite often in my inbox, so I thought I would share my answer with the rest of you.
Dear lbotp,
i am fairly new to cu and i read your blog all the time! my husband and i are here b/c of his job at u of i. i am from chicago and i am having a hard time adjusting to life here even though we’ve been here for 2 years… now getting to my question, i am the new mom of a 4 month old baby boy and i want to find a playgroup or mom’s group around here that is not based on any particular religion. my views are on the liberal side and i am not part of any particular organized religion but i would like to meet more people in the area. it seems like you have lots of child based stuff on your blog and you seem to keep up on what’s going on so i thought i would ask lbotp for some help getting out of my house! do you know of how to find mommy groups that would fit the bill?
sincerely,
stuck-at-home mom
Dear Stuck-At-Home Mom,
Here are a few options for you.
1. Mothers and More. This is an active group that is a mix of working and stay at home moms. I want to get more involved with this group but haven’t had the time. They have playgroups and also sponsor the Monday Mania event at the Champaign Park District’s Leonhard Rec Center.
2. The Champaign Moms meet-up group. They do tons of activities; many of the women are in the same position you are — they don’t know a lot of other moms.
3. The Good Beginnings Playgroup in Urbana. You may have heard of this one. They meet in a church but it is not affiliated with the church at all. I know Mrs. Chicken (another C-U blogger who is now a good friend) took her daughter there when she first moved here and met a few nice people.
4. The U of I women’s club playgroups. I don’t know much about this other than that they exist.
Let me know how it works out.
Your friend,
the little blogger on the prairie
Readers, let me know if you have any additions to the list.
6 responses so far ↓
Mrs. Chicken // October 12, 2007 at 11:52 am
I totally would scope out Good Beginnings. I exaggerate not when I say it saved my life the first winter I lived here. Good list!
Leeanthro // October 12, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Good Beginnings is awesome!
Both the Champaign and Urbana libraries have free programs for babies and toddlers during the day.
The YMCA gymnastics center on Country Fair Drive in Champaign has a weekly play time.
Both park districts have programs for young children.
I liked the idea of Mothers and More and went to one meeting when my daughter was a baby. The thing that turned me off was that the five or so women that I conversed with all told me how they would NEVER work while having a little child and it’s SO important for them to stay at home. I was just about to return to work after my maternity leave and didn’t think that their group was right for me. Who knows, maybe it would be a better fit now, but I had enough first-time-mom insecurities at the time and didn’t need the fact that I have to work rubbed in.
Henny Penny // October 12, 2007 at 1:27 pm
The moms meet up group is great. I belong to three of them!
amanda b // October 13, 2007 at 10:15 am
Can I just say thank you so much for this? I’m a new mom, and while I’m not at all new to C-U, I was drawing a blank when trying to identify mom’s groups, let alone find them on the web. Thank you so much for the great info!
Carrie // October 14, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Not a lot of membership right now but a good calendar of things were you might meet other people CentralIllinoisFamilies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Jen // October 26, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I’m a member of Mothers and More. It is a wonderful group made up of moms that work full time, part time and that stay at home. I have found most of the members to be very respectful and supportive of each others’ choices.
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