West Coast Events Coming Up Next 
Every Choice Mom networking event is different. So far this year we had a warm and welcoming event in Raleigh, a strong discussion of daddies and donors in Philadelphia, a large and dynamic group in Toronto (with six newborns!) and, most recently, a very personalized gathering in Boston with a majority of time spent on sharing our individual journeys. You'll read more about these events soon on ChoiceMoms.org.
I have postponed the Los Angeles event until Fall, and decided not to do an event in San Francisco until 2012 when we will do it very large. Next up: Seattle, at the downtown Westin, on August 6 (registration here) and an informal gathering in Vancouver on August 7 (registration here).
|
New on ChoiceMoms.org
BEING: the male role model, and Jane Mattes on answering the daddy question
MONEY: getting debt-free
EAST COAST regional guide: summer hosts needed for Fresh Air Fund kids
FERTILITY: hCG timing
PROFILE: being Choice Mom to twins
DONOR CONCEPTION: meeting half siblings
THINKING: Child? Partner? Job Change? A Thinker's dilemma
Special Choice Mom Resources
Guide to Embryo Donation -- especially useful for women whose eggs might not be viable.
Daddy Question: Our kid's storybook about answering the daddy question obviously didn't get completed in time for Father's Day; we'll keep you posted on new publication date, after we finish illustrating it.
Choice Mom Guide to Sperm Banks -- Offer YOUR COMMENTS AND CRITIQUES of how well you've been served by a sperm bank, anonymously or publicly using the Comments field. Let women know if you were happy with the service.
Compilation of some of ChoiceMoms.org's best resources, on everything from Profiles to Adoption to Podcasts.
The Choice Chat podcast is a great tool for hearing from experts and fellow moms; this post will lead you to all of them.
Finding support, from city to city
|
Improving our Community Resources As I mentioned in the previous e-newsletter, I'm enlisting more helpers as we grow and expand our networking in the Choice Mom community. That includes having localized coordinators to help create e-resource guides for certain key cities that you'll start seeing on ChoiceMoms.org this fall -- i.e., who are the doctors, childcare providers, handymen and everything in between that you recommend? Seattle and San Francisco will likely be done first, thanks to our coordinators there. But also, groups are meeting and talking in Chicago, Austin and more. If you'd like to be part of these efforts, use the Comments link to any of the profiles below and offer a private response. Meet our coordinators so far:
East Coast: Kali (NYC and DC)
Austin: Deanna
Atlanta: Jessica
Raleigh: Cathi
Philadelphia: Diane
Also to help with this effort, our Ning network featuring several of these cities, for ease of private communication, continues to expand; you can apply here for membership.
-- Mikki
|
|
Say thanks to our sponsors
I'm very thankful to the sponsors who value our mutual goal of providing high-quality information specific to the Choice Mom audience. Please let them know how grateful you are for their financial support. You can help keep these free resources coming by going to the Sponsors page and clicking the link to their website to let them know you've noticed. And let's spread the word about these resources, by sending the link to this newsletter to women you know (and family and friends who might want to learn more about your journey). There are a lot of women who don't yet know these resources exist.
|
