In Need of a Pep Talk

Hi H.,

My name is F. and I live in South Elgin as well. I stay at home with 3 kids. I try to overcome some of my negative emotions by staying active. I take my kids to museums, and parks, and meet up with other moms. If you would like to play date let me know. Hope you feel better.

Hi H.,
I have only one child and completely understand about the not doing a good job feeling. I'm certain that every mom feels that way at some point no matter what they say. So take some comfort there.
As for mom's groups or bible studies I'm sure you'll get plenty of responses through Mamasource. My sister in-law belongs to PACES which is exactly that. They have planned playdates, mom's night out and tons of other events/activities that pretty much cover everything. If you go on line to pacesmoms.org you can look up at group near you. I hope some of this helps. Have a good day and take some time for yourself.
P.

Hi H.! I am sure you are doing a great job! We all have bad mommy days, when we are crabby. But we also have days that we go to the park, play, go to the library, and have all sorts of fun. I am sure you are a typical mom!!! I don't belong to a group or anything because of my crazy schedule but I'm sure other moms will give ya some ideas. Good Luck

Hello H.,

Which city do you live in? More than likely there is a MOMS Club chapter in your area. www.momsclub.org
It's a support group for stay-at-home moms. I'm the President of the chapter in my area. We have monthly meetings where we conduct 'club business'. We also have a very full activity calendar each month. For instance, this month we had an Ice Cream Social at a park, Krispy Kreme tour, several park dates. We also had Morton Arboretum, Brookfield Zoo, Jumps N'Jiggles, and a Movie Day on the calendar. We have weekly playgroups set-up and a monthly MOMS Nite Out. Children are welcomed at ALL activities including the monthly meetings. MOMS Nite Out is designed, though, for the moms to be able to get out without the children. I highly suggest you look into this club...if you want more info, please feel free to email me at ____@____.com.

Cheers and Smiles,
A.

Hi H.

How about a play group for your kids, this also is a good outlet for you the stay at home mom. What about a part time job when your husband is at home to watch the kids, you don't have to work a lot! What about a book club in your area, check with the library. I have been a mom for a very long time and know how it can get, frustrating and lonely, just hang in there, things will pick up. C.:)

Hi H. =)
I can tell you that being a stay at home mom can be THE most boring thing in the world! I have 3 bio kids, 21, 19 and 3. I also have 5 stepchildren, 24, 20, 18, 11 and 8. There are days that I sit at home and strum my fingers and daydream about school for the older kids and pre-school for the baby. But usually what happens is the baby crawls into my lap for a snuggle and says, "I love you Mummy!" and I melt! If she were in pre-school I would miss that! And the older kids? My 21 year old daughter called me in the middle of the day crying because her boyfriend broke up with her, she needed MUMMY! If I were working I would have had to brush her off or not talk to her at all. I AM HERE FOR MY KIDS! And some day I hope your child says to YOU what my daughter said to me..."Thanks Mom, I couldn't have done this without you, thank you for being there..." That, my dear, is worth the boredom, worth it all! If you need more of a pep talk, email me. =) ____@____.com

Hi H.,
I'm a life coach and this is what I do best! I would be happy to work with you at no charge for an hour if you have the time for a phone session. I have a few tips that can support you to flourish and shine! No sales pitch unless you ask me. Contact me if you would like to chat.
J. B., RN,CFLCPC
Life Coach :)
PS: If you watch or have heard of the TV show Starting Over, I train with Rhonda Britten from the show.

H.,

I know that my neighbor goes to Oakbrook Chrisitian for a women's bible study that she realy enjoys. She has two children and started going when they were very young. Something else that we have done in our neighborhood is created a book club with all of the moms. It is a great way to get together with other mothers and just have some fun. One other thing you might consider is joining the YMCA. You can leave your children in their play area and then go workout which is a GREAT stress reliever! (Remember you need to do things for yourself, too).

Good luck and I hope you find something to help clear your mind.

P.

Hi H., I'm a recent SAHM and I have some bad days but mostly good days. I really love being home with the kids and feel it's brought us closer together. I'm able to take them to places I couldn't when I worked and do things that now fit into my schedule. So I'm pretty happy about what I do in life right now.

I have some questions for you. You feel you're not "flourishing", what do you mean by that? What are your expectations for yourself in this role as a SAHM? The mom's you do admire, what is it exactly about that them you admire so much? Is it a trait you can train yourself to have? For example, are they really organized?

I'd be happy to bounce ideas off of you. It always helps to talk to others in the same situation to learn how others do things. I can be reached at ____@____.com if you wanna e-chat!

T.

Hi H...I am a sahm/wahm mom to a 7yr old. I have only worked outside the house the first 1.5yrs..I do noahs ark the traveling stuff n fluff workshop, greeting cakes, and work for a social science research company and volunteer stuff..I would love to get together with you, phone, email or in person and talk..I know all too well how "lost" one can feel when they dont have adult contact..Maybe we could brainstorm on why your not flourishing, and exactly what you mean by that..what it means to you..Feel free to email me anytime, just to chat, vent, express concerns, anything..Then maybe sometime when you up to it, we could meet or talk on the phone..Totally up to you..Take care, and God bless...K.(____@____.com)

I have two children (5 and 3). I worked part-time for the first 6 months after my first was born and then went back to work full time. I have friends/family who are both stay-at-home moms and some who are full time moms. So I have a good idea of what both worlds are like. It is very easy to feel "lost" in the world of an "at home" mom. If you'd like to talk, you can email me at ____@____.com or call me at ###-###-#### and we can chat. S.

Hi H.,
I found a great group of mommies on meetup.com. They have a far western suburbs group that meets up almost everyday! Check it out!
~N.

H.,

Being a SAHM is a hard job with little tangible feedback. It's not like you get a yearly performance review :). So, it's easy to feel like you aren't doing as good a job as you could be. I have a three year old daughter and a nineteen month old son, and am almost nineteen weeks pg with my third. What has worked for me is to have a good network of moms that I can turn to for feedback and to commiserate with when necessary. If you would like to chat just email me (____@____.com). I am sure you are doing a great job, you just need someone to tell you!

J.