How to Join a Mom's Group - AKA I Need Something to Do With My Children All Day!

You’ve made it through the first year and now you are ready to head out into this great big world with your little one.  Where to start?  A mom’s group/playgroup is a great place to discover activities you can enjoy with your child while making little friends for your child, and grown-up ones for yourself!

A great starting place is the Internet.   You can find local groups by using sites such as www.meetup.com or www.bigtent.com.  These sites give ideas for starting a successful group if one isn’t offered in your area.    In addition to those who join after finding the group on the web, leaders might recruit members by inviting moms they meet at local children’s hangouts, i.e. library story times, parks, indoor play areas, etc. 

Another option in finding a group is through your park district or church.  Membership in the church is usually not required.  MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) has a nationwide network of groups.  Many churches offer playgroups for children.  Parents can enjoy the camaraderie of other parents while having fun with their kids.

Once you join a group, make it a point to be active in the group.  There are usually a variety of events offered, so scheduling around naptime/meals is easy.  Get to know the other parents and children.  If the leader is looking for input into activities, offer an idea!  It can be a lot of work for one person to do all the legwork that planning an event incurs, so offer your help. 

If you are unable to get out of the house often, there are many online support groups for stay-at-home parents.  These offer support, resources, and many a backyard activity for those long days at home!  If you know there are parents in your neighborhood, a short note inviting them over to play or meet at the park is a great place to start.

No matter the route you take, you’re bound to find a lot to do by joining a mom’s group/playgroup.  As well, you may meet some great friends, for yourself and your child!

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

On October 10th, with temps in the mid-40's, we traveled to Jollay Orchards in Coloma, Michigan .  This has become a fun event for our family, and the 3rd time our kids have been there!  

Tommy, Katie, and Michael (3 1/2 years)

The Shewey's - Mike and Stacy, kids L-R Jack, Morgan, and Alex

Colleen with daughter Olivia (L) and friend Alexis (R)

Joining us were friends Stacy and Mike Shewey, their children Alex, 12, Morgan, 10, and Jackson, 7.  We hadn't seen the Shewey family in almost a year and a half!  Also with us was my friend, Colleen, her daughter, Olivia, and Olivia's friend, Alexis. 

              Katie, Michael and Tommy playing in the hay pile!

Tommy crawling through the tires!

The kids played on some inflatables and "park" equipment, pet & fed some animals, then wandered through a corn maze.  We all took a hayride out to the apple orchard where we picked apples.  The hayride then took us to a pumpkin patch.  We chose a few pumpkins then stopped at the haunted house.  I stayed outside with Olivia, who doesn't like haunted houses.  Our kids were brave enough to go in but came out a bit upset this year!

                                     Outside the Haunted House

                       Our favorite monster, Greg, playing piano

Jack helping with a magic trick

The kids caught  a magic show, put on by two young boys.  We headed back to our house in St. Joseph, Michigan, ate some chili and watched football.  OUr little kids really enjoyed the attention of the bigger kids!

Katie and Morgan on hayride

                                          Mike, Alexis & Olivia

              Maureeen & Mike with Tommy, Katie, & Michael

Mo and Colleen

Triplet Pregnancy and Birthday - Part 1

For many years, Mike and I weren't sure if we'd have more children.  About the time Brad started high school, we decided we really wanted more kids and if we were so blessed I would be able to stay home with the child(ren).  Well it took awhile, but after 3 1/2 years we were successful.  On August 17-19 I was in Tempe, Arizona, dropping Brad off for his freshman year at Arizona State University.  On August 20, 2005, back in Illinois, I took a pregnancy test, and it was positive - finally!  Even though you are wishing and praying every month, it is a HUGE shock when you finally have a positive test result. 

Mo, Brad, Grandma (Diane) and Mike, May 1997

M.A. Graduation at Governor's State University

We didn't announce anything until weeks later.  On September 12, 2005 we went to the doctor for an ultrasound, the pregnancy was about 7 weeks along.  The ultrasound  technician calmly told us that there was more than one baby!  I was thrilled, Mike almost fainted!  I just remember looking up and saying, "Thank you, God."  I prayed so hard throughout the pregnancy that they would be born with strong hearts, lungs and brains! 

We called Brad first.  He was extremely happy and speechless!  He later told me he walked across the dormitory hall in a daze and told his friends, who were totally surprised too - who gets their first sibling while in college?  Next, we visited my mom, Diane, and brother, Pat.  Before we could say anything my mom handed me a list of baby names, she knew we were hoping for a baby.  Mike said, "Why don't you pick out 3?"  She was very confused until we showed her the ultrasound picture - I'm pretty sure she cried!  After this, we drove to Evergreen Park to see Mike's Mom, Barb.  Mike's sister, Debbie, was there too.  Shock all around!  Besides telling immediate family, we waited until about 12 weeks to tell everyone else - I felt like I was starting to show.  Here's a picture of me at 36 weeks, the night before the babies were born (Title:  Just Huge!)

I stopped teaching at 21 weeks.  I was just so exhausted, even after getting a good night's sleep.  At 29+ weeks, contractions were detected.  I was hospitalized for a few days and hooked up to a terbutaline pump, a medication that intermittantly pumps "anti-contraction" medication intraveneously into my leg.  I also had to monitor my contractions twice a day.  This was a really hard time for me.  I remember crying on the phone with my friend, Kim, about it.  I was afraid I wouldn't carry the babies to a healthy weight or they would be born with complications.  It was strange to be hooked up to a tube of medicine, a slave to the bed - bedrest gets old after a week, you don't enjoy things you thought you'd enjoy doing while on bedrest! - and stuck inside every day, unless it was a doctor appointment day.  Each day was a hurdle. 

At 32 weeks I was hospitalized again for 6 days.  This time, my liver enzymes were erratic and they were concerned for my health.  After the enzymes stabilized, I was sent home again.  I spent 2 weeks at my mother in law's house (close to the hospital and our house was under renovation), then another 2 weeks at home before the big day.  Brad was on his way home for the babies' birthday.  We had made it to 36 weeks and could hardly wait to meet the kids!   

Tommy Has Surgery

Today Tommy had minor outpatient surgery to remove a dermoid cyst near his right eyebrow.  In March we noticed a bump near his eyebrow.  The cyst is a clump of cells that Tommy was born with, no explanation as to why, and the cells grew as he grew.  Surgery involved anesthesia and a "peeling" of the cyst from the bone.  Tommy did great!  He head no adverse reactions to the anesthesia, but was just a bit groggy afterwards.  He didn't even take a nap today and has been in a great mood!  He will have to take it easy the next couple of days, so the stitches aren't bumped.  We'll go to story time at the library,  take a package for Brad to the post office, and maybe take a bike ride or two (all 3 can fit in the bike trailer at the same time!).  We are very grateful for the terrific outcome and so proud of Tommy!

Tommy, June 2009

Welcome to the O'Brien Blog

Hello everybody!  I'm writing to you from suburban Chicagoland on a beautiful sunny day in September.  My husband, Mike, and I are parents of Brad, 22 and living in Arizona, and Katie, Michael and Tommy, 3 1/2 year old triplets.  I started this blog a year ago and just didn't keep up on it(gasp!). 

Now a little about us.  Mike and I met looooong ago at a watering hole called "The Scoreboard."  We happily raised our son, Brad, in Orland Park, a southwest suburb of Chicago where I was raised.  In 1999 we moved further southwest to Mokena.  Here we enjoyed family life, dinners with friends, sleeping in on weekends, and taking Brad to his sporting events. After tumbling through his teenage years (they were rather smooth until he hit 17!), we sent him off to college.  Two weeks after I left Brad at Arizona State University for his freshman year, the doctor told us we were going to have triplets!  WHAM! We were successful in our bid for more children. And boy had we hit the jackpot!

Needless to say, our lives turned upside down in many ways, expected and unexpected.  Now that they are 3 1/2, the haze has mostly lifted, we can have adult conversations when at family gatherings, and it's easy to know what the kids want - they let you know loud and clear!  On the other hand, we still don't get too much sleep, our lives are ones of constant negotiation, deal making, rule reminding, consequence/reward set up, rearranging of stuff(toys, clothes, household items, etc.), and wondering what the future holds.  Of course, we will look back on this time and with we had savored it more.  I think being in the thick of things sometimes make that difficult.  We do have so much joy in our lives, these precious times go quickly, and so far it has been an amazing journey.

Brad (19) with Michael, Katie, & Tommy (16 months)

August 2007