I am the president of the Lake Cities Mothers of Multiples (LCMOM) club based here in Southlake, TX. This is my second year as President of this club. We are a group of women who have twins, triplets, and even quadruplets! Our members come from Southlake, Keller, Roanoke, Grapevine, Trophy Club, Colleyville, North Richland Hills, and other surrounding areas. We currently have a membership of approximately 85 members and we are growing weekly. Our club goal is to provide support to one another through our interactions and friendships on our Facebook page (which is private, member only), our monthly member meetings which include guest speakers and fun programs each time, our informal playdates, and other social events. We are a network of mothers to support and encourage one another; as the challenges of mothering multiples is different than mothering singletons. Especially in those first few years. I know this personally and can say that having one baby at a time is certainly easier than having 2, 3, or even 4 at a time! I have appreciated the friendships and support I have developed with this group in the past 2+ years. I joined while I was pregnant with my twin boys, who are now 22 months. We are still running into life challenges and hurdles and it is nice to have a group to go to for emotional support and advice, as there are others in our club who have “been there, done that”!
One of my favorite features of our club is the four yearly social/family events. These are the events that are paid for by club funds and are intended for club members to enjoy and bring all the families together. These events include a pumpkin patch gathering, a Christmas Party (Santa has come in the past and the club has provided a pizza dinner and gifts for each child), our Easter Egg hunt (lots of candy, toys, and fun for the kids), and our “Back to School” party (usually a fun event with games, prizes, and a pizza dinner provided by the club). My daughter Brielle especially loves these parties. She looks forward to the LCMOM club events as they draw near! She has developed friendships with many of the children in our group as well. She now thinks its normal to have 6 sets of twin girlfriends!
Here are Photos from our Easter Egg Hunt last year. Thank you to Tammy- One of our board members who hosted the event at our home!
Here are some photos from our recent Pumpkin Patch gathering:
We host a Moms of Multiples garages sale twice a year. We are now working with the Mid Cities Mothers of Multiples (MCMOM) club and we are joining efforts to run conjoined garage sales twice annually. The sale this fall was held at the Lion’s Club Den in Keller, TX and was run by our club. The spring sale will be held at the same location and will be run by the MCMOM club. It is a great opportunity for club members to sell their baby and children’s clothing, furniture, and equipment that they are no longer needing. It is a also a great opportunity for club members and also the entire community to shop for these gently used and sometimes new items at great prices. Our club takes 15% of club member proceeds from the sale. The other 85% goes directly to each seller. It is a win-win-win situation! The club raises money for club operating costs, the members are able to sell their items, and the community gets to take advantage of finding some great deals! The sale proceeds from the club are used to fund club activities as well as donate to locate area charities. In the past we have donated to the Mothers Milk Bank of North Texas, The Community Store House, The Keller Lion’s Club, and St. Laurence Church in Southlake. Most of the unsold items also go to a local charity. Our selected charity is “My Chosen Ones Adoptive and Foster Family Ministry”. This organization has a closet, or storehouse, that accepts new or gently used baby and children’s items. They offer these items to adoptive and foster families free! www.mychosenones.org is their website, and they are a great organization, doing wonderful things to support the foster and adopted children and their families in our community.
Photos from our Fall 2015 Garage Sale:
Another way we raise funds for our club and to give back is through our silent auction. This will be our third year doing this online auction. Anyone can bid on an item- meaning friends, family, and anyone in the community. It is done through an auction website that is open to all! The majority of our auction items are gift certificates for local businesses such as restaurants, gyms, spas, vet, etc. This silent, online auction will be held in November this year. We encourage all club members to bid, and share the site with family and friends to bid as well.
Our monthly meetings are held typically on the third Tuesday of the month at St. Laurence Church in Southlake. All of this information is posted on our Facebook events page in advance, so members can RSVP to events and meetings. Our meetings always have great speakers. Some recent presenters include Emler swim school which discussed swimming lessons and water safety, a wine tasting event where members learned about different wines, a Love and Logic parenting presentation done by an area preschool director, a local dermatology practice came and discussed pediatric/children skin concerns as well as any of our adult concerns, and so much more! That list is just a sample of who we had speak during several of our meetings this past year. At our monthly member meetings all members are asked to bring a beverage (wine, etc.), dessert, or appetizer to share with the group. We have a time for announcements in the beginning and then we have our speaker, typically followed by a round table discussion or fun activity. Some of our fun activities have included games, a toy exchange, and a Chinese gift exchange. There is often a give away or drawing at our meetings too. We meet at the church starting at 6:30. The social time is 6:30-7, and the meeting begins promptly at 7. We end by 8:30. We always try to make our events ones that help us be better mothers (something educational) and help us relax and enjoy our time together (something fun).
Part of our group support includes support for new Moms. Our club wants to help welcome newly born multiples to mothers in our club. We have a board member who contacts new moms and offers to set up a meal train. It is done on a website that allows all club members to sign up and bring the family a meal when they come home from the hospital after the birth. We have another board member who brings a newborn gift to the family. I wish we had the ability to make hospital visits and help out new moms when they come home from the hospital with their multiples. However, our club is 100% volunteer run and most of us are either stay at home moms with young children or we are working moms with young children. We are there for support online via our Facebook page. This has been a great way for new moms to post questions and concerns to fellow club members. There is always a great deal of outpouring of support from our club members to those who post questions.
The Lake Cities Mothers of Multiples club is a nonprofit organization. We are affiliated with the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Club, and the Texas Mothers of Multiples Club. Dues to our club are $37 a year for new members (past Sept. 30 is $25 and renewal is due March 1st of each year). Renewing members are the same cost. For members in the club 4 years or more and have served on the board at least one year their renewal fee is $20. Part of the membership dues go to pay for the National and State dues. We maintain our non-profit and tax exempt status through the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Club.
Like any other club or organization involvement, it is what you make of it. When you join a club, the club typically won’t come to you. You need to get involved! If you are a member, please attend our monthly meetings, volunteer for the board, help with the garage sale, and network on our Facebook page by posting and interacting with other club members. If you aren’t getting what you want out of the club, come join the board and help make changes to improve how things operate. We are only as good as the volunteers who get involved. Without our board, the club simply would not exist. I am grateful for our committed board members and all that they do to help our members and make the club function. Thank you ladies for making our club what it is today!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/lcmom/
