How do you make mommy friends when you work full-time?

[crunchy_mommy]

I want to make some mommy friends (and want DS to have a few friends his age!) but everything seems designed around SAHM's. I WAH 8-5 and most days I have no face-to-face contact with anyone but DH or my sister, so I feel awfully isolated!!! LLL meetings, playgroups, story hour -- they all take place during the work day. It's too cold & dark to go to the park after work... and even when the weather's nicer, it seems like most people with young children don't go out at night. DH & I have NO friends in the area. I tried starting up an evening/weekend playgroup in my TA on here, but it didn't end up happening (yet!), mostly because there aren't many public places to meet up in the middle of winter, and it's hard to arrange a group of strangers!

So... how do you all meet people?!?!

[readermaid]

I wish I had an answer for you. I'm wondering the same thing.

[Ardor]

Most of my mommy friends that I don't work with come from a group I volunteer for. We often get together on the weekends to work on our volunteer activities and that's evolved into more just adult meetups too.
You could probably become a LLL leader and start a PM meeting in your area too.

[misstorri]

I joined a volunteer group. Other than that, I am still looking.

[Alyantavid]

Daycare moms or moms of friends at school.

[Skippy918]

I'm wondering the same thing too! I have mom friends at work and we go to lunch together, but we all live far apart so we don't get together on weekends.
I joined a meetup group and I have been trying to go to more gtgs. The weeknights are hard because there's so little time from when we get home to when DS goes to bed.
We still end up hanging out more with our child free friends since they can come over at night and hang out and DS is already in bed.

[akind1]

For me, it has been through our small groups at church (I know, not everyone has a church, or goes to one, or believes in going) - even though a lot of moms are SAHMs, we can get together on weekends and evenings and that is wonderful. Also, some of DH's friends' wives (also SAHM) but still, it works. I work full time and right now, DH is a SAHD, it is hard to have or make friends. Have you tried looking for a mommy and me type class, like My gym, little gym, or kindermusik, (which if you went to a class in the evening or on a weekend) I'm sure you'd find kindred spirits there -
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[crunchy_mommy]

I can't afford the fancy mommy & me classes but I did just join a local meetup group & found out that there are now weekend LLL meetings just down the street from me!! So I'm gonna try that... My church is all older people (like with fully-grown grandchildren ) and DS doesn't go to daycare & I can't seem to come up with a volunteer gig that would be one-year-old friendly! So I'm really crossing my fingers that the LLL group is hopping!! hehe

[Adallae]

I work from home too, so I know what you mean about feeling isolated. I just joined a local Attachment Parenting International support group. The meetings are free where I live.

Have you tried www.meetup.com? There might be some working mom groups in your area.

[vrclay]

I joined a local meet-up group for working moms. I also joined a neighborhood group for moms (but focuses on mom who stay at home) but that has been disappointing.

[crunchy_mommy]

Yeah the AP meetup group I just joined seems to have mostly daytime stuff but they do have a couple evening/weekend events so I'm going to try going to a few & see how it goes. The tough thing is, I'd really love to have AP friends, I feel like, especially with a baby, it would be hard to relate to more mainstream folks... and this is a very 'mainstream' area -- I don't know anyone who's vegan or uses cloth diapers and definitely not family cloth (*gasp*) and I've never seen anyone else use a wrap or a sling or NIP!! Bottles & CIO & crib sleeping etc. are all the norm here.

[kcstar]

Mostly talking with moms at church. In our previous town, our church had small groups for parents, but they don't have that here.

I WOH, so I get a *little* bit through work, too.

Professional organizations, perhaps? I get a lot from the orgs I'm involved with.

[monkey-lamb]

I mainly work with men, but I have been able to make friends with some of their SAHM wives. A lot of our friendship is over email, but it gives me another mom to talk to.

[texmati]

I would love to know this too. LLL meetings in this area (quite a few meetings, btw) are all during the weekday.

[justKate]

Originally Posted by Skippy918

I'm wondering the same thing too! I have mom friends at work and we go to lunch together, but we all live far apart so we don't get together on weekends.
I joined a meetup group and I have been trying to go to more gtgs. The weeknights are hard because there's so little time from when we get home to when DS goes to bed.
We still end up hanging out more with our child free friends since they can come over at night and hang out and DS is already in bed.

I'm on Austin API's Big Tent group, but so much of their stuff goes on during the day.... I think someone tried to get an evening playgroup together at one point, but I'm not sure if anything ever came out of it. Same thing happened in the TA a while back.

I guess this isn't helpful, but I wanted the PPs to know there are lots of us in this boat! Guess that's why were all on here.

[cowboyjunki]

I'm a SAHM now, but used to run a home daycare - I felt the same way! It's hard when you WAH too and don't have opportunities to meet new people.

I belong to a meetup group for SAHM, but some of the members work, and we have lots of events on the weekends. Maybe there is something similar in your area, or a working moms meetup group. This is the first meetup group I've joined, and I have been pleasantly surprised with the way it all works.

good luck - I hope you are able to meet some wonderful friends soon!