Families helping Families
by Theresa Gallagher

It is truly a blessing to belong to Natomas Mothers’ Group. We are an incredible group of women bringing together our children and families to play with each other, learn from each other, and support one another. Through my years as a member I have gained insightfulness and perspective on motherhood and made some truly amazing lifelong friends. But my favorite part about being involved in this particular group is that we know the value of sharing the blessings we have with others in need. As successful as our fundraising was, we also found other ways to give back to Tubman House this year. A drive was organized to collect toys, books, diapers, and wipes to donate to Tubman for use in their childcare center. As mothers, we
can all certainly appreciate the value of these items and know how incredible it is to see a child get excited about playing with a new toy. We also plan to have book drive in the spring for our children to pick out books for the children at Tubman House. An employee at Tubman House contacted us to thank us for our donation. She said that it was incredible to receive a donation and the support of a mother’s group, as many of their young parents feel judged by the greater parenting community.  My family and I have benefitted in so many ways from being a part of NMG and I am proud to be part of a group that finds a way to give back to the community our children are growing up in. I look forward to our continued support of Tubman House this year and other local charities in years to come. It is perhaps one of the most important lessons we can teach our children and our little way of making a difference in our community. Each year the Natomas Mothers’ Group chooses a charitable organization that we try to donate to and support throughout the year, and this year a very pressing issue made our choice clear. Tubman House in Sacramento is a local organization that supports young parents (17-21 years old) by helping them to complete job training, schooling, offering childcare, and teaching them necessary life skills (like budgeting) so they can successfully live on their own and support their families. Tubman House recently and unexpectedly lost their primary funding and was left desperate for help. This coincided with our annual NMG Halloween Party, which is our main event for raising money for the year’s charity. We had many members donate food for our lasagna dinner, which was available for purchase at the event. Katie Rozental, a member and local photographer, also donated her time and incredible skills to take pictures of the children at the pumpkin patch. The proceeds from the food and the pictures were collected for Tubman House. With the success and generosity of our members, and the
time and beautiful photos of our own Katie Rozental, we were able to donate $500 to Tubman House to help them in their time of need. This is the largest charitable contribution to date that we have made collectively as NMG!

Mommy and Me Day at Raley Field

By Annie Alves

One event that Spencer that really looks forward to is Mommy and Me Day at Raley Field.  Twice during baseball season, the Sacramento Rivercats open up Raley Field to the public for this free event. 

Scattered across the entire field were activities that your little ones can tire themselves out with.   The big attractions for Spencer and Owen were the bounce houses.  A few of us moms were about to set up at the end of field with snacks and refreshments while the kids played with Frisbees, t-ball, and ran around in circles.  We even got to see Dinger play the drums!  If you have never gone, there is another one in May and it is a whole lot of fun. 

Mothers Night Out - March 2012

by Theresa Gallagher

This month's Mom's Night Out found us on an excursion to old Mexico—that is as close to Mexico as you can get on K Street.  On a Friday night in March, a small group of mom's ventured out in the pouring rain for a visit at Mayahuel Restaurant and Tequila Bar.  The downtown restaurant was a great place to wait for the storm to pass.  We enjoyed some zesty dishes--and that was just the conversation!  We sampled and shared each others enchiladas, tacos, and chile rellenos while sipping minty mojitos and smooth tequila.  If you ever make it to this restaurant, the Crema de Chile Poblano soup is a must try!  All warmed up from our good eats, we braved the storm to head home.  I was so thankful for a much needed MNO, and very grateful that we did not end up doing a scavenger hunt in the rain!