Moving day has finally arrived!

School is out and we are getting ready to make the move to Kansas.  It seems like we have been planning this move forever (we have been talking about it since fall of last year), but at the same time I can't believe we are leaving.  I feel like we have lived in Houston a lot longer then we have which is probably due to the friends that we have made here.

Before we even moved to Texas, I Google-ed "Moms-groups" and found a local group here in our suburb.  Within the first week of our arrival I went to a Moms meet-up and met people who would become a huge part of my life.  These ladies and their families became fast friends for both me and my children and were always eager to provide information (where to find the best pizza or who is the best pediatric group in town), provide advice (how do I get rid of all these fire ants?) childcare (thank you for watching my kids so I could get a decent haircut and color) and of course tons of hours talking and laughing (and sometimes commiserating) about this crazy thing we call "Motherhood".

At first I was a little leery about joining a "Moms-group" because as kid and teenager I found it much easier to get along with guys.  Having girl-friends usually meant drama and competition and gossip....all things I tried to avoid.  In college and in work it was much easier to have girl-friends, but in college everyone is at a time in their life when meeting people and making friends is what you do.  Since college I had worked at several different places, but seeing the same people five or more days per week really creates friendships, especially in healthcare where I work.  Any career specialty in healthcare is stressful and has very unique stresses that create opportunities for people to make very deep and lasting friendships.  Maybe it is because those outside of healthcare do not understand our humor or our lingo (code brown anyone?).  I don't know, but some of the people I have worked with are now family even if we haven't worked together in years.

I was lucky enough to make and keep many friends who I met through work and even luckier that when I was pregnant with my oldest child; most of my friends either just had a child within the last 12 months or were going to have one in the coming 12 months.  How cool is that?  Instant play group with people I loved to spend time with and thought were pretty fun and at the same time, instant friends for my kid.  (Who cares if my kid didn't like any of the friends I picked for him?  I certainly didn't because I had my own friends to hang out with!)

Moving a thousand miles from all my friends and family created this necessity to meet friends for me and my children.  I can talk to anyone about almost anything, but I was nervous about making friends.  How do I make friends with total strangers when the only thing I have in common with them is that we both have kids?  What if I don't like their kids?  What if I yell at my kids at a play date and they think I'm nuts?  What if our kids like each other and I can't stand the adults?  The list goes on and on.  I read an article/blog not to long ago that described meeting people and making friends as a adult (mom) and it summed it up perfectly.  Here is the link:  http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/dating-other-mothers/

I decided I just needed to keep doing what I had been since we decided on this whole crazy adventure and just jump in and get involved.  So we went to play dates.  We hosted play dates.  I went to mom's night out. I watched people's kids.  I let people watch my kids.  And you know what?  I loved it!!  This group was fan-freakin-tastic!  These moms always offered to lend a hand or watch my kids or make me dinner when my husband was out of town, but more importantly these moms became my lifeline to sanity.  When I was in the middle of a two week stint alone with the kids and at my wits end I could just send a shout out via Facebook to the group and get many responses to let me know that they all had my back.  I cannot begin to tell you how much their love and support helped me to make Texas my home and not just some place that I was living in.

I am so lucky to call these women my friends and yes some I am closer to than others, but I would trust every mom in the group to watch my children and I hope they would say the same about me.  I am so sad to leave this wonderful group and miss out on watching our kids grow up together.  You Moms will always be in my heart no matter where this crazy adventure takes me.

And to the new Moms-group in Kansas:  you have a lot to live up to.   I can't believe I am doing this all over again.

Thanks for reading!
Bluebonnet Yankee