Seventeen years ago, I created Queen City Stay At Home Moms as an outlet for managing my sorrow. I had just lost my oldest daughter the year before and was preparing to give birth to my second son. All while homeschooling with low funds. Yes, I was married, but we were living off one income at that time. This group provided me with a way to meet up with other families, allowed my homeschooled kids to engage with other diverse children, and the opportunity to use my professional skills because we were highly structured with organized activities beyond the playground. Soon, it would be an additional blessing because I was sought out for ads, product review parties, and my entry into blogging!
Over the years, I have hosted over 20 thousand gatherings. Some from new business ventures,
They have included:
- Political playdates at local elected officials office
- Family Vegan Valentines Day Party
- Family photo days,
- Thursday group dinner at EarthFare
- STEM explorative play dates,
- Community outings,
- sports play-time,
- Swim days,
- museum tours,
- group baby showers,
- New Mom Speed dating,
- Total Children’s Wellness Fair,
- local garden visits,
- Shopping members’ new businesses
- Coliseum shows
and more! We have even helped staff our members new businesses as needed. It was perfect because my eight children were the ages of every child that became a member ( except for the newborns)! We even made write-ups in The Charlotte Parents (a local magazine ) a few times!
The moms that join came from various walks of life. I refused to limit it to just families that look like me. I figured the best way to learn about a culture is by befriending as many families as possible. Still amazed that we reached three thousand members.
Although we have never had all three thousand in attendance at any event, we always had a great time and built strong connections. I understood that change happens and once a mom hit a milestone her objective may not include our group anymore. Most times it was due to moving, going back to work, children getting older, or no longer homeschooling.
Today it still blesses my heart to have strong connections with many of those that have graduated from Queen City Stay At Home Moms. As I have. Our youngest is now ten years old and is currently in public school. I work more for grassroots nonprofits and myself. Although I work from home, I’m most in various states at any given time. And at 46, I have learned to live in spite of losing my eleven- year old daughter in 2005.
Queen City Stay At Home Moms will always be special to me, but it has served its purpose and deserves to end on top. This week, I said goodbye to 15 wonderful years to one of the best holistic support groups for moms in the Queen City!
QC Supermom 