[peaceful_mama]

Tell me about living there. Tell me if there's any little town nearby that's nice. thinking about moving.....
Tell me about LLL and any MDC-friendly type playgroups too--for 3 year old and baby. (he'd be 3 by that time anyway)

and any other MDC-type things, like good health food stores, if there's a Whole Foods or Trader Joes' or anything cool like that that I've heard about here.

(and help me open my mind to that this could be an OK thing, I've lived within 60 miles of the same place my entire life. This would be the first time I ever packed up everything and moved to someplace where I won't know anybody except DH, the kids, and my parents. that's a long story, but if we move, they'd be with us.)

OH--and of course--how could I forget? I'd have to find someone to replace our wonderful FP doc. Preferably female, openminded about selective vaxing and listens to and respects parents' right to make decisions. thanks

 

[peaceful_mama]

I just realized too--besides bumping this....I'd have to find a new chiro. and I've just found one in the last year that I truly love LOL. well, 2, it's a husband and wife, they're equally good.

someone inexpensive and good, and not a user of that little tool. I don't think the little tool works all that well personally.

so...............is anybody going to tell me anything?

 

[Max'sMama]

I don't know about DM myself, but try cross posting in the Iowa Mamas thread you may get more traffic. I like the Iowa City area and currently live in Cedar Rapids which is about 30 minutes away.

For Chiros you just can look for any Palmer graduate. There is a Palmer Chiropractic school a few hours away from DM that teaches to adjust without the little tool. What area are you moving from? What type of area are you looking for? There are tons of little towns and my guess would be that Ankeny is probably more 'crunchy' since it is a college town.

Anywhooo. Check out the Iowa Mamas thread, I will see if I can bump it up for you.

I don't mind Iowa in general and think it's a nice place to raise children.

 

[georgiegirl1974]

I moved to Des Moines about a year ago. It is very family friendly here. They just started up daytime LLL meetings recently. They have a NINO group and a cloth diapering group as well (for places to meet AP moms). Unfortunately, there isn't a Whole Foods or a Trader Joes here, but a decent specialty market (Gateway Market) opened up a few months ago. It isn't nearly as good as WF or TJ, but it is the best option here. The farmers markets are fabulous though. My ped is decent...she's supportive of extended BFing and co-sleeping. I don't know much about chiros, but one of my mommy friends is married to one.

Where are you moving from?

 

[rainy32]

Hi, and welcome to Des Moines (when do you get here?) DH, DS ( 2 1/2) and I moved here last July and are really loving it. There is a strong, growing NFL/AP community here -- API, LLL, Holistic Moms meetings every month; Holistic moms play groups meet at a different park 3 times a month (on Fridays) and LLL goes to a park the fourth Friday; MDC moms get together at a park once in a while, too!

why are you moving, and where are you moving from? what will your dh be doing?

I have two chiropractors to recommend ... though I don't have their info in front of me! There's good yoga here, too. And I love Davidson Family Dental.

I'm happy to talk housing/rentals/buying, etc., too.

We live right in Des Moines - the "small towns" here close enough to commute are too "new" and "subdivided" for us so we got a nice house close to where I work (Drake Univeristy), on quite a nice parcel of land.

We have a card to the Johnston Library as well as Des Moines public library ... the Johnston library has more AP parenting books and a better gardening section, too.

What else do you wanna know?

-Renee

 

[rainy32]

I wanted to add that Des Moines is a much more diverse community than it seems when you look at it on=line, and that there is considerable religious diversity here - as well as just plain old ethnic/racial diversity. There's a considerable immigrant population - from places as far flung as the Sudan, Korea, and Bosnia, and as near as Mexico.

-Renee

 

[melissa17s]

Hello,
I am in Ames, which is 30 miles north of DM. We are a college town with about 50,000 residents. I worked in Des Moines for a while before I had dc. DM feels very small town for its size (I feel there is more diversity in Ames, but it is related to the university).

There are a local grocery stores that try to meet similar needs as whole foods and trader joes. Campbell's Nutrition and New City Market both stock many organic brands and health food stuff. My dad and fil found a huge international market that had a huge selection for Asian foods down in Des Moines, but I can not remember the name of it. This might be it...

I am not sure about Dr.s in DM, but I know I have seen other mamas post about them in this section before. Our dc's dr. is and osteopath in Ames, and we see her usually once a year for check-ups. There is an osteopathic university in Des Moines on Grand Ave., and they see patients. We vaxed because we go out of the country periodically to visit family, so we did not really talk with her about not doing it. I was able to make sure the lots of vaccine at the clinic did not have thermersol (sp?) in them, though. Oh man... I just remembered because of typing this... we forgot to get our hep c boosters- crap- last fall when I got my first on I could not move my arm over my head for a week.

Ankeny, Johnston, West Des Moines, and Waulkee are all suburbs that seem to be nice communities. All are growing like crazy. I work one night a week in Ankeny, and all of the people I encounter are very nice. A few years ago, we sold my grandfather's farm. It was a mile outside of Johnston through out my childhood, but the city had spread to across the street just before the sale. Now when we go out there, we do not recognize it because it is no longer farms, but houses everywhere.

Can you come visit before moving? See if you like the city before making that large of a commitment?

 

[Momma Aimee]

I wanted to touch on the cummuting thing.

We live about 25 miles out of the "city" (counting from leaving the burbs not city proper)... we ahve 33 acrea and live inbetween two small (SMALL) towns..... DH works at the federal building downtwon, and his door to desk commute is 45 minutes only. We have freinds in the Chigao area who live in town and comute longer

Granted we live only about 7 miles north of the inter-state wheich helps, but there are a LOT of areas outside of DM -- towns that are really just post postoffices and schools and a bank, or real towns that have small hosptials, a cpule of stores and so on..... and a lot lot of open area -- all within an easy commute. Yes where we live effectrs how often DS and I go to twon, jsut because, but it never effects us doing what we need to or really wants to.

here is a link to the most recent play date thread --- we are meeting this Friday and hope to make it an every other Friday thing. We are going to a park for the summer, and then back to an indoor place plaec at a mall when wniter hits.

We have a Ped in a small town who is totally supportive of us delaying and selectivly vaxing, but she woud be a drive if you lived in DM proper.

We have a great OB -- the birth comuunity here is not what one would really hope for ... but there are a couple of HB MW. a few doulas. some good OBs. and CNM in her own pratice, a CNM who runs a BC. AN office of CNM in praitcie with doctors (in own office though, you never have to see on OB they rotate around like OBs do covering for each other). and the loacl children's hospital has a level 4 NICU.

Clive is another suburb, and there is stuff to teh East and SOuth as well.

 

[peaceful_mama]

first off I have to laugh at the fact that someone mentioned the Sudanese community there, that's where DH is from!! When we were discussing options the other day, he said I'd like DM best because the community (sudanese) is more active than other places, and I'm the type that likes to get out and do things.

From what y'all are saying here, the birth community there sounds FABULOUS compared to here. Sioux Falls. You can't have a MW attend a homebirth at all, there's no birth center. There is Sanford NICU, apparently they're supposed to be one of the best, I heard they now have private family NICU rooms instead of pods? (but IMO I would NOT have a child there unless the child's life depended on it, my son was born there before the big $$ donation from Sanford, and he did not learn to nurse because I followed their advice.) I don't have a clue about NICU's thank god I have never needed one.

DH is thinking about relocating I think in part because most of his friends have moved out of this community. They don't do anything anymore, I think it bothers him that nobody comes to visit, no picnics anymore, nothing. that and he has friends getting paid like 15 bucks an hour where he gets maybe 10 here.

I don't know if or when exactly we are coming. He did say he doesn't know if he wants to move and then wait a year to be IA resident before going back to school--he might want to do school here this year.

I've been to DM a couple times, but for a short weekend, didn't see a lot but I liked what I saw. I think I am going to try to get DH to take me for a longer visit, actually go to one of the mosques there. I even found a name for an Islamic school online, I'd like to see it and talk to a teacher or someone in person. (I tried to call the number though and got a fax noise. ) I'm going to try to look for an email. Supposedly they were expanding to be pre-K through 4th grade in 2005 according to the website I saw......that was the last update though.
I have a friend who has family there, she's always said good things about it, she told me about the birth center, says its beautiful.

but yeah i'd like to see it, really see some things. Also, I'd like to 'know' some people before I get there, have an 'in' to some playgroups for the kids and things. This would be the first time I've ever lived where I don't have a CLUE where anything is. Even when I moved here, my brothers all lived here, I grew up coming here to go to the mall and to see them, so I knew where at least the main roads, some stores, some stuff was. I've lived here now 10 years or more total, with a couple years back where I grew up to go back to college.
And I have things I love, like my awesome chiro, my CNM, the kids' doctor,I'm in LLL, we do a homeschool group cause I am considering that too, it took me awhile to get these things lined up, and of course some bad experiences along the way....at least if I can talk to you guys, I can have some sort of clue where to start--even if I don't have a clue how to drive there once I call them

(and FWIW, I had a Palmer grad chiro here in town for awhile, at least that's what the diploma said, and he used the stupid little tool. but I went to his dad before him who did not.)

 

[Momma Aimee]

Quote:

I heard they now have private family NICU rooms instead of pods?

not that is matters but the NICU has these, rooms for each family.

When you come let us know -- even if we do not have a play date set -- I am a SAHM and can almost always meet you to play and talk.....

More later

Aimee

 

[chiro_kristin]

I know a fabulous chiropractor in Altoona, which is on the east side of DM. Her name is Dr. Kari Swain. She has two fabulous associates as well, both female.

 

[peaceful_mama]

awesome!

I have no clue where altoona is, but I guess I'd learn.

Aimee--I am thinking it wouldn't happen before fall, but likely before winter if we're going this year at all. the whole citizenship thing, and DH might still decide he doesn't want to wait a year to do school which he would have to for residential tuition if we moved. but definently I'd PM or something once I got internet going there.

 

[melissa17s]

Where is he thinking about going to college? I teach at DMACC, so I looked on their website and it had a timeline for residency, which appears to be 90 days http://www.dmacc.edu/admissions/residency.asp . The regents universities (ISU, U of I, and UNI) have differen rules http://www.iastate.edu/~catalog/2007...residency.html , which require a year of living and working to become established. I am not sure about Drake, but wow, their tuition looks painful.

 

[Momma Aimee]

Let us know

you can either join a play group date -- or I will meet you, or you can come to our house if my baby is too small to go out.

AImee

 

[peaceful_mama]

i think from what he said sun. he wants to go to school here first now but that could change too......

 

[Momma Aimee]

http://www.wallypop.net/resources.html

this is a web page maintained by one of our local WAHM moms.

There are a lot of local links and infrmation on it -- and some of her links lead you to more of th NFL stuff ....

thought you might want to see it

AImee

 

[insahmniak]

Not currently living in DSM, but I grew up there and was back there a couple years ago when my daughter was young.

Incidentally, I found a non-vax-friendly ped in Johnston - in a little complex just off Merle Hay Road, just north of the interstate. Let me look it up.... June Beetler, DO. Great young mom with good energy - an welcomed asset to DSM. Also, there's a Palmer grad in the very same building she's in.... off of Merle Hay Rd. He treated me once - no stupid tool. (How funny that you call it that, too! Hate that thing.) Lots of massage and hands-on. I only went once because I just do an emergency kind of visit - I'm cheap like that.

HTH
Ann

 

[peaceful_mama]

I'm an 'emergency visitor' too mostly, can't afford it otherwise. I also hate chiros that try to put you on a schedule and get all upset if you don't do it that way. I CAN'T AFFORD IT! I'm far happier with mine who is come as you need.

 

[junamoss]

We live in Des Moines, on the west side and really enjoy the city. We can bike to anything we need. My hubby works at the university (Drake) and bikes most days, unless it's too hot or rainy (or he overslept). I am a labor nurse at Lutheran, which is too far to bike to.
Housing can be a little bit pricey these days in Des Moines.
My FP is a woman whom I love. She is a mom to many girls and from Pakistan. She is a good listener and respects your opinions.
There are no super big organic health food stores yet. Maybe some day.

 

[rainy32]

OT, but: junamoss, I work at drake -- where in the university does your husband work??

-rainy32