Another question for the US mumsnetters....

[Gem13]

I was wondering if any of you used a forum similar to Mumsnet over in the US.

We are off to Atlanta next week for 3 weeks while DH works (gulp - not prepared at all!) and I was thinking about being brave and posting something on the net looking for other mothers I could hang out with and chat to while the children played. I have done a search on Google but it took me a while to find mumsnet so I'm don't know if I'm looking in the right place.

Have contacted the YMCA and am being sent details of organised groups but I am trying all avenues!

I use the message boards at www.ovusoft.com which are mostly US based. The website is based around a fertility software product but the message boards are extremely varied and I bet there's an Atlanta parenting group or Georgia Moms or something like that on there. They are in groups but welcome new members or people just popping in and you can just start your own thread if you like. Good luck!

Also, would you respond to such a plea? I know I would on some days but then others I would worry about being caught...

I would definitely respond. I'm sure you'll meet some other Moms, maybe even some other Brits. What about through your DH's work? Any wives, Moms, etc you could get together with that way? When we lived in Japan for a year my first friend was the wife of one of DH's clients. Through her I met some other girls and before we knew it we had a gang! Oh! I just thought, I have a friend from Atlanta. I'll email her and see if she has some ideas. There might be something through a local group. I'll post back as soon as I hear from her.

Thanks Tex. Didn't mean to sound funny before it's just that I know one time on a trip pre children I was invited to spend the day with a colleague's wife. We didn't have anything in common but she obviously felt obliged and kept inviting me out and I didn't have any excuses not to go!

I keep trying to find one that I like, because I feel like I am an intruder here, but can't find any I like. I have found one that is way to hippie and earth mothery for me, many that are very, very religious, and some that are good, but rarely posted on. I don't really know how to look for them, though, just stumbled onto MN by mistake and had never been to a site like this or chatroom before. And, like Tex, would definitely respond to your posting.

I know what you mean. It can be tough when you feel like a captive audience. Hopefully my friend can come up with some information for you and then you can pick and choose. One thing I will say is that Southerners are very friendly so don't be afraid to strike up a conversation. In fact, I met my friend from Atlanta at the mall here in England. She asked about my baby's blanket and when we heard each other's accents we virtually fell into each others arms.

I use Craigslist discussions, it has sites all over the USA, the discussion forums have people from all over but if you go here you can post from Atlanta looking for other mums. Also Mothering.com is another, but the people on their are very left of center(no vacinations, co-sleeping etc) There are regional folders on it I think.

colinsmommy - don't feel like an intruder here, Mumsnet is for everyone!

You and Tex don't fancy spending a few weeks in Atlanta do you - it could be fun!

Oh, how I would love to, Gem13. I've lived in South Carolina, and vacationed all around there (the Gulfport-Biloxi Mississippi area is about a 6-hour car trip, and has great places to stay for really cheap), but somehow never made it to Georgia. Too bad DH is a retail Manager, and this is his busiest time of year. Hope you find what you are looking for, and have a great time.

Thanks colinsmommy! Sounded a bit evangelical before but I do think mumsnet is great. I have weeks where I don't look in and then other times I seem to be on here all the time! I think there's something for everyone on here.

I'm going to be brave tomorrow and post a couple of 'befriend me please' requests on the forums august24 suggested. Thanks for those.

Hi Gem 13 I'm still finding my feet here (NJ) after a year so haven't got much of use to suggest. The only thing I can think of is to go along to a church, it's more a social thing than religious or so it seems to me. Might well be different further south though.
Coloinsmommy, I'm sorry to hear you feel an intruder here? I've enjoyed our late night chats and have missed you being around lately.

I've had pneumonia, and been unwell for over a month, and haven't had the energy to do a whole lot. That and I seem to have gotten really busy lately. Thank you for missing me. Nobody does anything to make me feel like an intruder. Everyone has been quite lovely, actually. Just my own insecurities coming out. And I do think the site is great. So glad to have found it.

Poor you. Hope you're feeling better soon.
There seem to be quite a lot of US mumsnetters now scattered about.

Thanks, Turquoise, you've made my day! Personally, I think being housebound for so long has made me a little irrational in my thinking, which accounts for the insecurity. Am doing much better now, but had many of my friends babysit Colin while I was ill. Now, I owe them a lot of babysitting time and have been paying it back, so don't have a lot of time to be on the computer.

Gem13, just heard back from my friend and she suggested this link:

http:^/www.matchingmoms.org/localinfo/United_States.Georgia^_DeKalb_County.html

She also says that they have toddler thursdays at the High Museum of Art where the kids can do some painting. Sounds fun and you could meet other moms there. Hope that helps!

Collinsmommy, sorry you've been ill! That sounds awful. Glad you're feeling better now.

Sorry you've been sick Colin's Mommy. I also enjoy "chatting" with you and don't think of you as an outsider at all.

Gem13, I used to post on Babycenter.com, and they have regional boards. Could be worth a try. Here's the board for Atlanta.

Did you decide on somewhere to go after Atlanta? I remember you were thinking about Florida.

Why isn't my link working? Test

I can't do links anymore!!!

Is this because Tech has been messing around?

I think something has happened when tech added the bold italics etc, something to do with the slashes.. He seems to ahve gone to bed now.

I have alerted him

Of the US boards I've found, my favorite is Baby Bargains Theoretically it's all about buying things cheap, and some bits are (or about buying things expensively - my, some people care more about baby clothes than I do!) but there's also a bunch of good discussion and there are local meet-ups.

Right - was feeling positive and confident so tried to post something on some of these boards but they are quite complicated. I only use mumsnet and didn't appreicate before how easy it is to use!

So far I've only managed babycenter (and had no replies)... Will persevere though.

Kate - we're still not clear about what we're doing. We have the apartment in Atlanta for a month and plan to visit Savannah and Athens (to pay homage to REM and B52s) at the weekends. Depending on how they go we might venture down to Florida for the fourth week.

At the moment it's a bit daunting figuring out cots, highchairs, etc. We are pretty disorganised at the best of times! We shall see how it goes with the children and what we find in Georgia.

Saw this website in an American Magazine(Real Simple) and I thought of you. They rent all sorts of baby things, and they have one in Atlanta

I'd be interested as to what you think about mothering.com, gem13. I've posted a few times on it, but the threads get really heated really quickly it seems and I decided it was definitely not the place for me. I have a friend in Atlanta if you want to CAT me.