MOMS Club Rio Rancho South

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MOMS Club®, (MOMS Offering Moms Support), is an international non-profit organization specifically designed for at-home mothers. Our number one purpose is to form a network of support for at-home mothers because we know you need it.

MOMS Club® is not based on race, religion or income. Staying home to raise your children is a personal decision and you are not alone. MOMS Club® is here to help support that decision.

MOMS Club® is unique in that we welcome children of all ages in all of our activities. Most of our activities are held during the day, when stay-at-home moms need the most support.

We meet many times a month for fun and educational activities for our children, providing a forum for topics of interest to women, and performing service projects, holiday parties and more!

We have one general meeting each month to discuss business and the activities planned for the month. Our calendar changes from month to month. Attendance at activities is not mandatory, so you can be involved as often as you like or as it fits your
schedule.

To learn more about this chapter feel free to explore our website. If you would like to learn more about the history of MOMS Club®, please visit the International website at www.momsclub.org

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Here are some useful links for information about our community, fun places to visit, and entertainment for the whole family, resources for mom, as well as links to fun sites for children. MOMS Club® does not endorse any of these websites nor any advertisements that may be found on them - this information is simply listed as a courtesy.

Around Town
City of Albuquerque
City of Rio Rancho
Rio Rancho Grocery Stores
Rio Rancho Pediatricians
Rio Rancho Public Schools
Rio Rancho Weather
Sunflower Farmer's Market
Village of Corrales

Entertainment
Albuquerque Aquarium
Balloon Fiesta
Balloon Museum
Cabezon Pool
Century Rio 24 Theater
Cinemark Movies West
Corrales Harvest Festival
Esther Bone Library
Explora
Haynes Pool
Hoots Party Zone
Loma Colorado Library
Natural History Museum
Popejoy Hall - Center for the Arts
Rainbow Pool
Rio Grande Botanic Garden
Rio Grande Zoo
Rio Rancho Aquatic Center
Rio Rancho Bikeways and Trails
Parks and Rec Map
Rio Rancho Soccer Club
Santa Fe Children's Museum
Santa Fe Opera
Summer Nights Concerts
UA Cottonwood Mall Stadium 16

Just for Kids
ABC Teach
AGKidsZone
Crayola
FunBrain
Habitat Heroes
iKnowthat
Kids Be Green
KidSites
Little Amadeus
National Geographic Kids
NickJr
PBS Kids
Scholastic Kids
Starfall

Just for Mom
BabyCenter
La Leche League
Mom Advice

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Cookbook Project 2007
In 2007, our chapter (at the time we also had members of what is now the Rio Rancho Cabezon chapter) put together a cookbook which was published and titled Just Like Mama Made. It includes favorite family recipes from almost all of our members, and can be purchased for $8. These cookbooks are full of time-tested recipes and make excellent holiday gifts. Please contact a member of the board if you would like to purchase one. All proceeds from the sale of these cookbooks will be donated to charitable causes that benefit mothers and children in our community.

Newsletter Ads
Our chapter publishes a monthly newsletter which is distributed to our members during the first week of each month. We have an ad page in which we are able to support our moms with home-based businesses by giving them a discounted rate (our members pay $1/month for a business card-sized ad). We also accept ads from businesses in the community that may be of interest to stay-at-home moms (examples: gymnastics gyms, kids’ party rentals, etc.) at a non-member rate of $3/month for a business card-sized ad or $5/quarter page). Please contact momsclubrrs@yahoo.com if you would like to place an ad in our newsletter.

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Does this sound like the right group for you? Would you like to learn how to join? Or just want to check out a meeting or an activity so you can see what it’s like before you commit to joining our chapter?

The boundaries for MOMS Club® Rio Rancho South include those moms living in zip code 87124, including the village of Corrales and excluding Cabezon.

How do you join?
To join you just need to fill out a liability release and information form and pay $20. Contact the Membership Vice President at momsclubrrs@yahoo.com for these forms. You can also write to our MVP with any questions.

Don’t live in this area, but want to find a chapter near you? Check the directory on the MOMS Club International page to search for web pages of other chapters in your area. If you don't live in any of the areas listed or just need help, please contact MOMS Club® International for help locating a chapter near you - or start your very own MOMS Club® chapter if there is not yet one in the area you reside in.

MOMS Club® International
http://www.momsclub.org/
MOMSClub@aol.com

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Every year our chapter chooses a service project to work on as a group. Below is the information on our current service project as well as projects from our previous two. We have always had a wonderful experience serving those in our community who are in need. If you are interested in participating, please contact our chapter's AVP.

Service Project 2008
Storehouse West in Rio Rancho, NM
www.storehousewest.org

We are excited to adopt a family through Storehouse West for our Service Project this year! We will be able to adopt a family by the middle of October 2008. Our members can donate as much as they would like and then we will use our fund-raising money to complete the items our family needs and wants over the holidays. Storehouse West is a non-profit tax-exempt volunteer-staffed corporation that is community-supported.

Service Project 2007
Project Backpack/ Maggie Cordova Elementary

In 2007 we had an awesome amount of support for our Service Project. We chose to support Project Backpack, which helps provide kids with a special backpack for healthy non-perishable snacks for the weekend. We used club funds obtained from fundraisers in addition to MOMS Club® members donations to make this project a success.

Service Project 2006
Ronald McDonald House in Albuquerque, NM
www.rmhc-nm.org/about/mission.php

Ronald McDonald House charities provides a place for families to stay while their child is being cared for at an Albuquerque medical facility. MOMS Club® of Rio Rancho South members donated their time and food to the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. We had several moms that came out to help cook two times for the families. We had a great time helping one another for the benefit of others

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Would you like to be a volunteer for MOMS Club® of Rio Rancho-South? Being a chairmom is a great way to volunteer your time to the club, without having to make a huge time commitment. Most duties won’t take more than an hour of your time a month. Chairmoms help us in a variety of ways, and we are always open to creating new positions. If you are interested in one of the available positions below or you have an idea for a new position that you would like to share, please contact our President.

Bargain Hunters: Do you have an eye for a deal? From coupon swaps to money saving meals, this chairmom keeps all members of the Bargain Hunters up-to-date and informed of penny saving deals.

Book Club: This mom organizes the book club, finds hostesses for book club meetings and takes member suggestions in order to create a reading list for the year.

Children’s Activities: The Children’s Activities mom schedules a fun field trip event or tour for the club each month. Past activities have included: making pizza at Village Pizza, the corn maze and pumpkin patch at Wagner’s Farms, and a round-trip on the Rail Runner.

Communications: This mom sends out electronic invitations to each member for upcoming events. She also provides the membership with driving directions for the week.

Crafty Mom: This mom organizes a monthly craft activity for the kids. She decides chooses a craft, gathers all of the necessary items for each craft, and leads the moms and kids in making the craft.

Guest Speaker: The Guest Speaker mom contacts members of the community and speak to the membership at our monthly General Meeting.

Meals for MOMS: When a member has a new baby or finds herself laid up, this mom coordinates volunteers to bring meals to the family.

*Moms’ Night Out: Once a month the moms enjoy a night on the town together. Our Moms’ Night Out mom plans our monthly outings, takes ideas and suggestions from the membership, and makes reservations as necessary.

Newsletter: Our monthly newsletter is a work of art, and a great way for the board to communicate with the members. Our Newsletter Mom gathers articles, pictures and the monthly activity calendar and compiles them into our club newsletter.

Nursery: Our Nursery Chairmom coordinates nursery childcare volunteers for our monthly General Meeting.

Playgroup: Our playgroup mom organizes the members' kids into different playgroups, keeps a rotating hostess schedule and sends periodic surveys and updates regarding playgroup needs and children’s schedules.

Storytime: Each month we hold a children’s storytime. The Storytime mom chooses a theme each month, the books she will read to the children and a craft or activity to accompany the theme!

Webmaster: The Internet is one way we to reach potential new members. Our Webmaster uses her knowledge of web design to create an eye-catching and user-friendly site. She also helps us keep the website up-to-date with the latest info.

Welcome Wagon: Nothing is nicer than a home baked goodie to welcome you and your family to our chapter. Our Welcome Wagon Chairmom coordinates volunteer bakers to deliver a goodie to each new member.

*denotes available position

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Here is a sampling of what a typical monthly calendar includes and descriptions of these group favorite activities.

Recipe Club—Recipe Club is one of our most popular monthly activities! Each month, moms take turns hosting this fun and yummy event. The hostess chooses a food theme such as “Mexican,” “Asian,” or “Comfort Foods” and moms bring different prepared dishes as well as copies of the recipe to share. Many of our moms love to cook, and even those who prefer avoiding the kitchen enjoy attending this event to sample and get ideas for new things to make.

General Meeting—Our monthly business meeting (called the “general meeting”) is held on the first Wednesday of each month at 10 am. Often we have childcare available at this meeting and we discuss what is going on in our chapter, suggest new ideas for activities, vote on budget items, and welcome potential new members. If you are interested in joining a MOMS Club® chapter, the general meeting is an excellent first event to attend and meet some of our moms.

Coffee Talk—Coffee talk is a casual and fun discussion group that meets once a month. Moms take turns hosting this event and the hostess typically chooses a topic of discussion. Previous topics have included things like: “OBGYNS vs. Midwives,” and “Where would you go for your dream vacation?” The hostess provides coffee and tea and the moms enjoy discussing the topic while kids play nearby. This event is seasonal, and generally begins in October and continues through February.

Book Club—The book club meets once a month. Moms who regularly attend the book club meetings play an active role in choosing book club selections. These selections are typically determined and placed in a schedule months in advance so that members can pre-purchase books cheaply or get a jump start on the readings. Most are available at the library or can be borrowed from another mom. The hostess chooses a food theme that ties in with the theme of the book (for example, if the group were reading Midwives, a food theme might be “foods you craved when you were pregnant”). Members bring potluck foods to share in this theme as well as a few questions or thoughts they had from the reading to facilitate a discussion.

Bargain Hunters—This is a new activity group for the 2008-2009 year, and the goal is to help our moms find new ways to save money on everyday items. The chairmom guides the group by suggesting a monthly discussion topic such as “smart grocery shopping” and the members share their ideas and swap any coupons they bring along to the meeting.

Storytime—Our storytime chairmom chooses 2-3 children’s books to read to the kids in a small circle and then plans a simple craft or cooking activity that relates to the book theme. The hostess mom provides a snack which also ties in with the theme of the stories for that month.

MOMS’ Night Out—This is a favorite event of many of our moms! Once a month, we go out for a night to ourselves; it is usually the second Tuesday of the month at 7pm. Favorite outings include dinner at a casual restaurant (such as Turtle Mountain, Chili’s, or Osaka), Game Night with potluck appetizers & desserts at a member’s home, or a trip to the movies. This is usually the only event we have on our calendar where children are not present, however we often have nursing babies join us for our MNOs.

Backyard Bash! This is an event that takes place seasonally (June to August), and replaces Coffee Talk on the calendar. Moms take turns hosting this activity in their backyards and the kids play outside. This is also a potluck event, and popular dishes include slices of fresh watermelon, homemade coffee cake, and other fresh fruit/brunch items.

The Breakfast Club—This is a new activity group we are beginning in the fall of 2008 to better support our “empty nester” moms (mothers who have all school-age kids), though all of our moms are welcome to attend. Each month, members will meet up at a local restaurant to enjoy breakfast and “mom” talk. Once all the kids are in school, moms’needs change, and this gives us a chance to talk about the changes and what is going on in our lives.

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Have a question about our group? Check here first. If you don’t see it, feel free to contact our chapter.

Who can join?
MOMS Club® was created to support women who choose to stay home with their children. Moms of any age can join, whether they stay home or work and regardless of the age of their children! Other caregivers, such as grandparents, dads, aunts, etc. may be able to join on a case-by-case basis.

Who runs the club?
The moms run the club! Everyone has a say in how the club is run, and all issues facing the club are voted on. An Executive Board consisting of a President, Administrative Vice President, Membership Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer is elected each June. The Executive Board handles all the business duties of running the club and handles communications between the chapter and MOMS Club® International.

Can I attend a meeting or activity before I attend?
A prospective member may attend a combination of two of the following events: a general meeting, an open house or a park day. However, they may not vote or participate in activity groups until they pay their dues.

My child has food allergies, will the activities be safe for us?
Our club is peanut free. No peanuts or peanut products are allowed at any MOMS Club® event where children are present. We also ask that members do not offer food to children who are not their own. Ultimately, protecting the child is the parent’s responsibility, but we can all help to make it a little easier. Please contact the board if your child has severe food allergies.

Are there dues?
Members pay annual dues of $20. Members who are unable to pay this amount may apply to have all or some of these dues waived.

Are there any special rules?
We have a set of MOMS Club® Friendly Rules. They are as follows:

1. Please do not bring any sick children to any MOMS Club® function. This includes the following symptoms:

Fever within the last 24 hours
Vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
Runny nose- clear is okay, any other color is not
Any sign of infection
Any unexplained rash
Illness requiring an antibiotic that has not yet been administered for 3 days.

2. Always stop unsafe behavior.

3. Allow each Mom to discipline her own children.

4. If you need to leave the area, ask someone to watch your child(ren). Let your child(ren) know you are leaving and that you will return soon.

5. Be respectful of other parents’ opinions.

6. No smoking at any function.

7. If your child cannot share his/her toy, please do not bring the toys to a function.

8. Please be mindful of the immature immune systems of infants by restraining your child(ren) from handling baby toys or invading their personal space.

9. No snacks that include peanuts or peanut products are allowed at any MOMS Club® function where children are present.

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Our chapter, MOMS Club® of Rio Rancho–South was formed in July of 2000. We are a sister group from the MOMS Club® of Albuquerque–Westside, which began in 1999.

Since we began we have sistered two chapters: MOMS Club® of Rio Rancho–North in April of 2003, and MOMS Club® Rio Rancho–Cabezon in March of 2008.
Our chapter is run by member-elected officers that are elected each June. The club is really run by the moms, but the Executive Board acts as a liaison between the membership and International MOMS Club®. They also listen to new ideas and present them to the membership for voting and they ensure that the chapter operates within the bylaws established by International MOMS Club®.

Joining the Executive Board is a great way to contribute to MOMS Club, offer support to other members, get to know other moms, and use skills from the workplace. The Executive Board positions are:

President

The President presides at meetings
Acts as a liaison with other organizations and the community
Organizes the group’s activities with the help of the Executive Board
Acts as liaison between the local chapter and the MOMS Club® corporation and is responsible for preparing and presenting any reports on the local group’s activities as required by the corporation

In summary, the President is the one responsible. She is responsible to the chapter, the community and the national organization.

Administrative Vice President

Assists the President in fulfilling her duties of office
Assumes the duties of the President when she is not available
Coordinates the chapter’s service project(s)

The duties of the Administrative Vice President are essential to the chapter. She is the person the President can defer and delegate to. She is also responsible for the service project, which is a requirement for all chapters per the Bylaws.

Membership Vice President

Promotes membership in the group
Publicizes the group in the community, and coordinates such publicity with the President.
Assists the treasurer in the collecting of dues.
Maintains a membership roster.
Acts as liaison between the chapter and potential members.

The Membership Vice President should be a “people person." By coordinating and encouraging the publicity, hospitality and fellowship of the group, she is one of the most important members of the Executive Board.

Secretary

Coordinates and prepares any correspondence necessary for the support group in cooperation with the President.
Takes minutes at all business meetings.

The Secretary should be an active member of the board and is involved in all decisions that affect the group. She helps guide the group’s activities and represents all the members at the Executive Board Meetings.

Treasurer

Responsible for all the funds of the group and deposits all such funds in the name of the group.
Maintains the financial records of the group.
Receives and legally disperses any funds as directed by the Executive Board.
Prepares annual financial reports and any other reports as may be required by the Executive Board or MOMS Club® corporation.

In other words, the Treasurer handles the money! Like the other officers, the Treasurer helps make decisions that will guide the group.