LONELY, Stir Crazy Mom - Need People!!!

Wow I feel like I could have written this post at times. As you said I belong to a couple different groups but because I am chasing the kids I do not get to really talk. I used to work with an office full of women and would get my fill of talking and being a sahm there are days unless I call someone I do not get any adult conversation and then it can be difficult because my children do not make it easy to talk on the phone. I unfortunatly do not have any answers for you as I am in the same boat. I do not think my husband understands at all so I do not bother explaining how I would love to get a little adult interaction. I look forward to your responses any maybe will find something that can help me. I do try to make sure I exercise which keeps helps keep me positive. I wish you the best.

Honey, I feel U -
I know how isolating, tiring, and exhausting it is w/ being a SAHM. Here are a few suggestions that worked for me:

1. Find out if your church / synagogue has a Moms/Tots group. If so, find out when the group meets, and get going! I joined my local Moms/Tots group in my church, and I've been a member for over 3 yrs now. I've developed WONDERFUL friendships w/ other Moms and we've had playdates w/ our kids. It's awesome!

2. Online meetup groups are a good idea, but usually, the group has to collect fees/dues to keep the cost down of being an online group. In this economy, a lot of SAHM's don't have even an extra $10, $20 a month. I'd google something like this, "mom groups in (city, STATE)" where U live, maybe there are resources that U didn't know were closeby to you.

3. Offer to host a playdate at YOUR house in the next week or so. With school letting out for the summer, I'm sure that more of your preschool Mom pals would love to get together....maybe integrate a picnic lunch...if it's in the afternoon, maybe do an ice cream party? There are PLENTY of reasons to host a playdate/kid party...trust me, if U get creative enough, other Moms will want to get in on the action to keep kids busy!

4. Check out your local library. Open story times, activities, etc. Plenty of Moms w/ kids there.

5. Hit the park and strike up a chat w/ a friendly face, especially if her kids and yours seem to hit it off!

6. Take a free / trial class at a tumbling / gymnastics facility, or your local community center.

7. Make your own Mommy calling cards (business cards, just w/ Mom info), and ALWAYS have them handy. Make sure U have your current home/cell/email info so that other Moms can contact U.

Hope that helps, good luck, and feel free 2 msg me on here privately if U need any other tips :)

Look into moms groups at your local churches. They usually have child care while the moms meet. Ours was called Mom to Mom and it was wonderful!
YMMV
LBC

Hi G.! You are most definitely NOT the only SAHM who feels lonely. It is a lonely job! I live right up the road from you in Allen, and I know there are LOTS of things you can get plugged in to in Mckinney. Mckinney Fellowship Bible Church for one, offers a MOM's Connection group from September through May. I am involved in one of these at my church and it is GREAT! For a nominal fee (usually $40) you get a year of childcare provided for each meeting. It will give you the opportunity to meet other moms in Mckinney who stay at home and I must say I've built up some awesome friendships at the one that I attend!
Also, my daughter and I frequent Finch Park so if you want to meet up there one day just let me know!
Hang in there! I think there are those days when we all say "what happened to the social life and the friends I used to have?" So remember, you are absolutely not alone!!!

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B.

Have you looked into joining your local MOMS Club? It is a great way to connect with other moms in your area. Check it out at http://www.momsclub.org

Also, sign your kids up for classes like gym, music, dance, swimming lessons, etc. or sports teams. You will meet other moms that way and it'll get you all out of the house.

Check out http://dfw.citymommy.com CityMommy is a great way to meet other moms and the DFW area definitely covers McKinney. I know there are several members living in McKinney and many more in surrounding towns. You could meet some other moms that way as well as get great advice, find out about local events, and more.

Being a SAHM is really hard and isolating, but if you put yourself out there, you will find other moms who are as desperate to connect as you are.

Also, what if you started volunteering? Find an organization you believe in and give them a few hours each week - alone, without kids if possible. You'll have true adult interaction and feel like you're doing something important at the same time.

Good luck!
K.
http://www.citymommy.com
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

Is it possible for you to work part time? Even just a few hours a week, working with grown-ups, leaving the house alone, putting on work clothes, interacting with adults....maybe 10 hours a week in a retail store that sells something that interests you personally? Can your husband handle the kids for a few hours when he gets home from work once or twice a week? I understand what you mean, I', a sahm too, I will say it gets better, between now and when your kids are in high school, you will be constantly running....sports, clubs, dance, church, boy scouts, etc....also in the 'good advice I have never followed' category, do you have a girlfriend or a sister you can out out on night a month with?

I hear you, sister! At times, I feel like I am going a bit on the crazy side....You got good responses here, but I'll add one more. I was on the brink a few years ago, and my husband encouraged me to get a hobby, something I loved.....I couldn't think of anything.

So...I took a sewing class, at night. I really loved it! I hope to take more classes, and use my sewing machine more, but it was a good start. (Jo Ann Fabrics have all kinds of classes, making jewelry, crafts, kniting, sewing, etc etc...at all kinds of times, and my class was only 30 or so dollars.) It helps to develop a skill that a S. can use at home when things get isolating. It does force me out of the house at times, go pick up fabric here or there etc.

I also starting writing in my free time. I always loved creative writing, was English Minor in college, but never really went back to it....until Hubbie suggested hobby. I started a blog. I know, I know everyone on the planet has one....however, I do my blog as a source of sanity, not for followers....however followers are nice too! :) That has become a kind of hobby for me as well. It forced me to develop some computer skills, and research online 'how tos' to get going....which I like, keeps me up to date in case I ever have to go back to work.

Just suggestions here, but I am so glad for my hubbie's advice to find a hobby that I could really enjoy. (Trust me, I went through different phases of trying to find something that I would love to do, not forced to do to keep sanity.)

Think of possibilities, ie photography, scrapbooking...take a walk in a Michaels or Hobby Lobby, and you'll be amazed at the possibilities......
hope this helps you at all,
~sahmatwork
www.familysentinel.blogspot.com