Natomas Mothers' Group

Christmas Caroling

2012-02-06T15:53:00.001-08:00

We gathered together at Katie’s house to go caroling. But before we headed out, there was pizza and drinks for everyone who hadn’t eaten. (Thank you Jen for organizing that.) Afterwards, we rounded up the kids to practice songs. With bells ringing and the kids singing, there was so much happiness all around. Then we bundled up and headed out. We stopped at a couple of Katie’s neighbors and we sang “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer”. Of course we stopped a few times to admire the Christmas decorations all around us. Next, Jen took us into her old neighborhood and we were invited into one of the homes. The kids were so cute as they stood and sang to the neighbors. Afterwards, we went back to Katie’s house and sang to Peter, who was kind enough to listen to our singing. Hot chocolate and cookies anyone? Yes! The kids decorated cookies, ate them, and followed that down with delicious hot chocolate. Spreading some holiday cheer - what a wonderful way to spend an evening.

April Mom's Night Out - Chevy's on the River

2010-04-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well due to the rain we had to change locations for our April Mom's Night Out but we all still had a great time! On Tuesday a large group of us met at Chevy's on the River for some dinner and great conversation! It was great to be able to get out of the house (minus the kids!) and spend time with friends.

NMG Spring Party

2010-03-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

Our annual NMG Spring Party was another huge success. This year our party had two bounce houses, a face painter, a balloon twister, popcorn, cotton candy and of course a huge Easter Egg hunt and a visit from the Easter Bunny! Thanks to all who helped make this party great!

Setting up for the party

Josh with his alien balloon!

Getting ready for the big Easter Egg hunt!

Bounce house

Egg Stuffing Party

2010-03-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

On Monday March 22nd some NMG members got together to help stuff eggs for our upcoming Spring Party and Easter Egg Hunt. If you haven't already heard; our Annual Spring Party is this Sunday, March 28 from 11am-1pm behind Fort Natomas. Our Spring Party is open to the community so please spread the word and we hope to see you there!

Mom's Morning Out

2010-03-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

On March 21st some NMG mom's headed to Crepeville for a Mom's Morning Out!

Family Outing - Effie Yeaw Hike

2010-03-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

A huge group of NMG families broke the silence at Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve one Saturday in March! We enjoyed a beautiful 3 mile hike around the perimeter of Ancil Hoffman Park. The kids were great hikers and loved seeing all of the turkeys, roosters, deer, and owls!

Children's Outing - Jelly Belly Factory Tour

2010-03-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

For our March Children's Outing we headed to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield to take a tour. A group of 8 families made the trip to Fairfield to enjoy the outing and learn how Jelly Bellies are made. After a short wait in line we headed upstairs and had a group picture taken with Mr. Jelly Belly himself. The 40 minute tour was educational and fun for those over the age of two. The babies had a great time watching other members of the tour group. During the tour we got to taste thr Jelly Belly in their stage one, two, and final forms. The tour concluded with a free sample bag of Jelly-Flops. After the tour we headed back downstairs to the cafe for lunch. What a great day!

Park Day

2010-03-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

Enjoying some nice weather at Fort Natomas!

February Mom's Night Out - Alpha Fired Arts and Comedy Spot

2010-02-28T17:49:00.000-08:00

A small group of NMG moms (Katie, Kate and myself) headed to Alpha Fired Arts in February for a Mom's Afternoon Out. We all picked out the ceramic pieces we wanted to paint and set to work. The conversation flowed as we worked on our masterpieces although you could tell when one of us was working on a particularly detailed part when we became silent and hunched over our piece. We compared painting/artistic skills and decided if the piece didn't turn out as nice as we hoped we would just tell people our kids painted them! Although, in the end, I think we were all proud of our art work. We were having such a great time talking and painting that the time flew by and before we knew it the staff was informing us that they closed in 5 minutes. It was a great afternoon out and I think all three of us are looking forward to going back! Katie and I decided that we were going to extend our Mom's Night Out and head to The Comedy Spot that night to see The Real Funny House Wives of Rio Linda. It was Amazing!! I highly recommend you go and see their show the next time they are performing at The Comedy Spot. I don't think Katie or I stopped laughing the whole show! It is definitely a show for moms by moms and a perfect outing for the NMG. It was a great way to end a fun day out!

Children's Outing - KidzArt

2010-02-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

Plenty of budding Picassos turned out to showcase their artistic talents at the new KidzArt studio in February. There was so much excitement generated by this outing that KidzArt offered two classes so all the kids could participate. The classes were broken down according to age so that KidzArt could plan projects suitable for each age group. The older kids (ages 4 and up) went first and learned how to draw a dog and a gumball machine. Then is was the younger kids turn. They got the chance to use paint and make an ice cream cone using different shaped sponges and paint rollers. I think everyone had a great time and all of us moms were very impressed with the art our little ones were able to create!

Mom's Night Out - Dinner and The Comedy Spot

2010-01-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

Five NMG moms began a fun evening out with dinner at Pete’s Restaurant and Brewhouse downtown. We had a delicious meal along with some interesting people watching opportunities! From there, we headed to Sacramento Comedy Spot’s swanky new midtown location. First up was Comedy from the Couch. Which was exactly as it sounds...three comedians sitting on a couch drinking beer. Each got up to take their turn at some stand-up comedy. They gave us some good laughs. The place completely filled up for the second show which was called the Anti-Cooperation League. It was an hour-long improv show based solely on the contents of a couple of audience members’ purses and wallets. We all managed to escape being brought up to the stage to have our purses gone through. One of our NMG moms (okay it was me) had even fleeced her purse before heading to the show in absolute fear that she would be dragged up on stage. The improv was hilarious and kept the audience roaring with laughter!

Children's Outing - Explorit in Davis

2010-01-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

In January we headed to Explorit in Davis for our children's outing. We had a good turn out of NMG families who made it out for a fun trip to Explorit. We learned about motion and made parachutes that we then got to put them in a wind tunnel. In the days following our trip to Explorit, many NMG families participated in an unexpected experiment designed to test the strength of our immune systems. It was called the "Explorit Plague".

NMG Annual Holiday Party

2009-12-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

On a rainy Saturday in mid December NMG families gathered for our annual Holiday Party. The room was decorated in our "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" theme and there was a generous brunch buffet for everyone to much on. For the kids there were two art projects (a snowman greeting card and snowflake rubbings using crayons). The kids also got the opportunity to decorate a sugar cone with green and white frosting and sprinkles to make their own edible "trees". We also had story time and a little bit of Christmas caroling before the arrival of Santa. Most of the kids really enjoyed getting the chance to sit on Santa's lap where they received a book and reindeer food and then posed so their parents could get a picture. Another highlight of the party was the artificial "snow" that all the kids enjoyed playing with (using different cups, spoons and funnels to experiment with). This years holiday party was a huge success!

Mom's Night Out in December

2009-12-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the holidays we decided to have a "Mom's Night In" in December. We held a potluck holiday party at a member's house complete with a white elephant gift exchange and an ugliest holiday sweater contest! We also used the opportunity to put together our "NMG Thank You Cookie Tins" to thank all those that help and support the NMG throughout the year.

December Children's Outing

2009-12-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row we headed out to Alpha Fired Arts at the beginning of December to let the kids paint some ceramic pieces to give as holiday gifts. Thankfully no pieces were broken and all the kids had a great time getting to be artistic. All the pieces turned out great and I am sure all the family members who received them as a gift loved them!

Children's Outing at Wacky Tacky

2009-11-20T10:25:00.000-08:00

For our November Children's Outing we headed out to Wacky Tacky in Roseville. Our first outing there was such a success we decided to take the kids back and let them get some of their energy out. The kids all had a blast climbing through the tunnels, going down the slides and playing in the "ball pit" area! Can't wait for another outing to Wacky Tacky!

NMG Halloween Party

2009-10-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of October we headed to Bastiao Farms Goblin Gardens Pumpkin Patch for our NMG Halloween Party. There were games for the kids to play, goodies to eat, pumpkins to paint, the corn and hay mazes to run through, hay rides, the big inflatable slide and much, much more! The kids all had a blast and everyone looked great in their costumes. Can't wait for next year!

Family Outing Coast Guard Airstation and Aerospace Museum

2009-09-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

A small group of NMG families met at the Coast Guard base in September to take a tour. We started the tour by checking out the special fire truck that is designed for aviation use. All the kids got the chance to spray water from the big hose and climb behind the drivers seat of the fire engine. Then we made our way to the big C-130 airplane to let the kids explore. We took turns climbing in the cock pit of the plane and pretending to fly. (But I think all the kids favorite thing was climbing in through the front of the plane, running through and jumping out the back so they could run back to the front and start all over again.) After the Coast Guard base some of us headed next door to the Aerospace museum to check out all their planes. After some running around at the museum and climbing into a few more planes we walked over to Freedom Park to have some lunch and let the kids play on the slides before heading home.

Afternoon Playgroup at the Park

2009-09-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

In the month of September we headed to the park for an afternoon playgroup. The kids had lots of fun running around and playing on the swings and slides. They also got to use some sidewalk paint to make some beautiful masterpieces!

Literacy Playgroup

2009-09-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from one of the last meetings of the Literacy Playgroup.

Monday Park Day

2009-09-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Monday Park Day in September - we were meeting in the Tot Lot to beat the summer heat!

August Children's Outing - Cal Fit Pool

2009-08-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to beat the summer heat; we headed to the California Family Fitness pool for a Children's Outing in August. All the kids had a great time splashing around in the pool and going down the water slides!

Children's Outing - Whole Foods

2009-05-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday April 29 we took the kids up to Roseville for a Tour of Whole Foods Market. Here are Ryan and Rorie checking out the goodies!

Family Outing - Quarry Trail Hike

2009-04-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

On Saturday April 18th we headed out to Auburn to do a little hiking. The weather was beautiful and you couldn't ask for better scenery. We hiked about a mile and a half to a picnic area then had lunch. After lunch the kids all wanted to go down to the river to throw rocks. A few of the kids wanted to go check out the cave to see if they could see the Garuffalo living inside. The walk back to the cars was a little challenging for some of the kids but we all made it. Overall it was a fantastic day and really a lot of fun!

Childrens Outing - Davis

2009-04-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

On Thursday April 16th we headed to Davis to ride the double decker bus. The kids all loved it, except for Damian who was a little scared. After the bus ride we went to Rainbow City park for a picnic and some play time.

MNO - Crepeville

2009-04-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday April 14th we headed to Crepeville to hang out and play some fun games. The games sat on the table as we chatted the night away but we all had a great time anyway!

Rainy Day Childrens Outing - Funtastic

2009-04-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

On April 10th we were planning to go to Davis to ride the double decker bus but it was raining so we decided to head down to Elk Grove to go to Funtastic. They are unfortunately closing their doors in May so we wanted to use up those pre-paid cards we have! The kids had a blast jumping off of things, going down the slides, and even doing some flips!

Art Project - Easter Baskets

2009-04-19T16:59:00.001-07:00

On Monday April 6th the kids made Easter baskets before heading out to Fort Natomas to play. Leilani put together a very cute project using the baskets strawberries come in. The kids decorated them with stickers and added handles and off they went to the park!

Natomas Literacy Playgroup

2009-04-05T13:33:00.001-07:00

On Friday April 3rd we had our first Literacy Playgroup. This is a playgroup funded by a First 5 of Sacramento grant, organized by Stacy Gould. This playgroup is open to all Natomas residents and geared toward children between the ages of 2 and 4. It is designed to be an informal mini preschool where we focus on one book a week and have the children do activities based on the story. Stacy has done a fantastic job organizing the playgroup and the kids all had a blast! This playgroup will run every Friday from now until September from 9:30-11am at the Natomas Charter PACT. Space is limited so arrive on time!

Checking in

The kids working on puzzles before the playgroup started

Circle Time

Jenn singing about calendar, weather, and more

Stacy reading our first book - Bobby Dazzler

Stacy teaching the kids about patterns

The kids making their own pattern

All the kids with their books ready to go home

NMG Spring Party

2009-03-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Jamie for organizing a fantastic Spring Party Event and thank you to everyone who helped to make it a success! A special thanks to Ray Tretheway for his donation.

All of the Easter eggs just waiting to be found!

Corin, Allison, Leslie, and Beth waiting for the festivities to start

The community on the hunt for eggs - it was pure crazy fun!

Damian finally found one!

The Easter bunny handing out goodies

Kate and Jenn take time out from hunting eggs to pose for a picture

The Easter bunny giving Dariusz and Damian suckers

Jenn, Allison and Scott, and Carl enjoying lunch with their kids

Wednesday at the Park

2009-03-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Wednesdays we have our afternoon playgroup from 3 - 4:30 open to all ages. On March 18th the weather was so beautiful we decided to head out to Shorebird Park. The kids had a blast rolling down the hill, swinging, playing chase, etc. Jenn was nice enough to bring all the kids popcorn for a snack.

Choo-Choo!

2009-02-01T09:27:00.000-08:00

On Friday NMG headed to the railroad museum in Old Sac. The kids love this place and us moms love that it's relatively inexpensive - especially if you buy the membership! The kids love to climb on all the trains but I think the big hit of the museum are the telephones...at least downstairs. The biggest hit of all, for moms and kids, is upstairs where Thomas is! After letting the kids run a muck downstairs we attempt to corral them upstairs where the play Thomas trains are. Us moms get to chat and the kids get to play... couldn't ask for anything better.

Art Project - Snowman Greeting Cards

2009-01-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

On January 12 we took the kids to Fort Natomas for park and art day. After they got their fill of the park we shuffled them over to the community center to make our snowman greeting cards. The kids expecially loved the glitter! The cards turned out really cute. Thank you to Leilani for organizing another great art project!

NMG Holiday Party

2009-01-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

Our last big event of 2008 was our Holiday Party organized by Jamie. The party was a huge success. We had art projects, cookie decorating, story time, music time, and we even had a visit from Santa! The kids all had a blast! The party was a great way to close another wonderful year with NMG.