Home Playdates

We cater our home playdates to different age/mobility groups for the most stress free and safe experience for both the moms and the children. This ensures that every home playdate has the appropriate baby-proofing and toys for the group it is given for. We also allow our playdate hosts to choose the maximum number of mothers and children they would like to invite to their home, so that no hosts or children are overwhelmed by too many people. There is a sign up sheet accessible from the message board for anyone who wishes to sign up.

Our categories are:
Hatchlings -- for the immobile and semi-mobile little ones. Rollers, scooters and semi-crawlers are welcome.

Waddlers -- for super crawlers and early walkers (otherwise known as wobbly, waddling walkers). These little ones are fast on their knees but slow on their feet.

Quackers-- These babes are expert walkers, and are probably running, too. These kids are highly mobile and probably good at falling down, too.

All Ducklings -- Everyone is welcome.



Special Events

We also have special events. Examples of these include visits to the Zoo, Children's Museum, Desert Museum, going to the 4th Avenue Street Fair, Buckalew Farms in October, the Winterhaven Parade of Lights in December, Arizona Spring Training Baseball Games, Butterfly Exhibit at Tucson Botanical Gardens, Knit Knots for Tots (our knitting playgroup), special holiday playgroups among many others.


Moms Only Events

About once a month, we leave the babes at home and go out to dinner, drinks, or have a special "Mom's Only" event as a group. In the past, we have gone to venues like The Melting Pot, Ra Sushi, Firecracker Grill, Laffs Comedy Club, 4th Avenue, and The Auld Dubliner. We recently had a Mother's Day Brunch at the Loew's Ventana Canyon Resort for 50 of our mothers and guests! Members take turns offering to be designated driver so that everyone gets home safely (though many of the moms who attend choose not to drink at all).

We also have Mom's Nights In once or twice a month. These include monthly Game Nights, playing games like Cranium, Loaded Questions, and Taboo, however most of the time is spent laughing and getting to know each other better. There are also Chick Flick Movie Nights, where we get together in a member's home to cry and laugh at the latest Chick Flicks.



My Gym, Pump It Up and Gymboree Private Parties

Every month, we have private parties at our wonderful sponsors, My Gym, Pump It Up and Gymboree. The My Gym private party is 60-minutes of songs, dancing, puppet shows, and playing. My Gym has a great setup that changes every week and includes a ball pit (the favorite of the kids), swings, tunnels, a climbing fort, and slides. The Pump It Up Private Party is 90-minutes inside their fabulous bouncing room. The kids enjoy an obstacle course, slides, a bounce house and riding in play cars. It is great exercise for both kids and moms! Gymboree, our newest sponsor, offers a 45-minute private party. This party includes dances, songs, bubble, parachute play, stories, and great social interaction for the kids and moms.



Park Playdates

All members are encouraged to share their favorite parks with the rest of the group. There is a sign up sheet accessible from the message board for members to pick the day and time that works best for them, and to invite the rest of the group to join them. These "park requests" are then scheduled as group events by our park organizer, Angela. We try to visit parks all over the Tucson area and try to alternate the areas of town that our park playdates are held. We have up to three park events every week, of course depending on the weather.

Group craftdates are held monthly at a centrally located park. The kids and parents have a great time being creative and spending quality time together. Some examples of the crafts are party hats and noisemakers for our Noon-Year Party, Valentine's Day card bags, and handprint Leprechauns for St. Patrick's Day.



Book Club Meetups
Every four to six weeks, members vote on a book to read for our book club. To try and accommodate all readers, we vote on a meeting day and the meetings are held at a member's baby-proofed house. The meetings always take on a theme from the book--for one meeting, everyone brought cultural food to enjoy while discussing the book. Past examples of book club selections are "The Time Travelers Wife", "The Kite Runner", and "The Nanny Diaries".


Scrapbooking Meets
For the scrappers in our group, we have scrapbooking events every month (sometimes more). There is a sign up sheet accessible from the message board for members who wish to volunteer their homes to host scrapbooking events. The attendees are sometimes scrapbooking experts, sometimes novices, and sometimes in between -- all are welcome. The hosts determine the maximum number of moms they'd like to host, and whether or not children are welcome at scrapping events. We also have monthly events at the local scrapbooking stores, including Making Memories Midnight Madness and Pages in Progress.


Mothers Support Group
Let's laugh, cry, learn from, and lean on each other at the Meetup Moms Support Group! Helpful, fun and cheaper than therapy. Support Group meets every other month at libraries around town. These meetings are designed to provide mothers an opportunity to encourage each other, ask questions, and troubleshoot solutions in an informal, supportive environment. Past MSG discussions have been discipline, starting solids, and finding a preschool.


Nursing Home Visits
We visit a local nursing home with our children every other month, usually as a holiday visit. In the past, we have dressed up the kids in their Halloween costumes for our October visit, passed out homemade Valentines for our February visit (made by group members at special craft events), and taken the kids to show off their Christmas and Easter best. We always love sharing the joy our children give us with the elderly folks, and the elderly folks are always pleased to see us.


Walking Events

We have over ten walking events every week. Some at the malls and some at parks (weather permitting). Most are in the morning (or mid-morning), but a few are in the afternoon. These walks are scheduled so that any member who wishes to get out and exercise with other moms has the opportunity to do so.


Healthy and Fit Mamas
If you are looking to lose a few pounds or if you want to live a healthier lifestyle, consider attending a Healthy and Fit Mama event! The Healthy and Fit Mama meets every other month to talk about our goals and progress, as well as other fitness-related topics. The meetings are full of support, advice, and exercise. Healthy recipes and restaurants are also discussed, among many other things.


New Member Events
We have monthly New Member Events for members new to the group and older members. These events are a great way to meet all new members and answer any questions about the group. Recent events have been held at Beyond Bread and Chuys, where new members got to know each other, played games and even won prizes.


Money Group
This group meets monthly to inspire one another to grow financially. Learn and share knowledge on topics that are financially based with moms from all backgrounds. Past topics have included wills and trusts, savings, and how to save money.


We also have....
The MAMAs
Domestic Goddess
Charity Events
Ducky Dinners
Helping Hands
and much more...