CityView Magazine

38 | October/November • 2009 wardrobe. For many members, speakers are simply gravy. The real treat is a few hours of adult conversation that doesn't (at least always) center on diaper talk. Crafts are kept simple so moms come away with a sense of completion, a rarity given the never-ending nature of household chores and motherly duties. "You make some goofy little thing and say 'Hey, I did that today.' Your house is a wreck, your children are a mess, but you actually did something," Lovato said. Members turn up the heat in the spring and fall to host the consignment sale. For Aimee Henderson, also a nurse turned stay-at-home mom, the sale is about more than making money. "It's four days when I get to use my brain," she said. "I get to be Aimee again, the person people go to for answers to questions and not just to fill a sippy cup." It also fosters a strong sense of community between shoppers and volunteers. Lovato recalls several moments when strangers helped each other, going as far as paying for each other's items. Tempie Flanders works with the Teen MOPS, the first like it in the state. For her, seeing the girls find items they couldn't have afforded elsewhere makes the hard work worthwhile. And it is hard work. Uniformity in tagging and hanging items is required of consignors, but the payoff is a festive environment where people can shop size-appropriate racks instead of digging through piles of clothing. Like MOPS meetings, the sale is a welcoming place where people can come and be themselves. Membership of Northwood Temple MOPS reflects Fayetteville in its military- to-civilian ratio. While members focus more on the common denominators of motherhood, extraordinary challenges befalling military spouses don't go ignored. Henderson was thankful her husband's deployment fell on a meeting day. "I was able to put my kids in the nursery knowing they could play while I walked inside and cried for two straight hours." Many military spouses are also eager to find support off post where pecking order isn't an issue. At times, these moms admit the role of organizer adds pressure to the already overwhelming task of motherhood. And though the first years of motherhood can be all-encompassing, the time comes when many women want to reclaim a piece of their former lives. For Lovato, this shift has meant returning to work while staying active in MOPS as publicity coordinator. As for Cole, now that Addison is growing up and her professional artistic life creeps back into focus, she has passed the keys to the HFFM kingdom to her fellow organizers. She recently showed her photography alongside art from her husband -- a family affair of an entirely different kind. CV interested? MOPS and Hip, Fit & Fun Mamas are just two of the many groups for mothers and children in Fayetteville. Visit www.mops.org to find a local MOPS group or go to www.meetup.com for information about HFFM of Fayetteville. Moms just want to have fun Want to find things to do with kids? Check out these hidden jewels Art Attack! The Fayetteville Museum of Art opens its doors to parents and kids on fall Mondays: Oct. 26, Nov. 30 and Dec. 21. Learn to cast a critical eye on a piece of art and then create your own. FREE! Where the Wild Things Are Everyone's favorite children's book comes alive this fall on the big screen, so it's time to get ready. Act like Max on Oct. 29 at the Fayetteville Museum of Art. Cost: $10/$15 Parks aplenty Moms can gain access to an entire list of city parks at www.fcpr.us but we'll let you in on two of our favorites. Honeycutt is easy to find – it's directly across the street from Fayetteville Technical Community College – and it has two separate playgrounds, one for older children and another just perfect for toddlers. And then there's Clark Park near the V.A. Medical Center. Way more than park, it's a nature center, too. FREE! U fascinate me Yes, Fayetteville has its own children's museum. Fascinate-U is open for play six days a week but we have a soft spot for Saturdays. Every first and third Saturday, the Cape Fear Railroaders bring their trains to the museum's third floor. Best yet, it's FREE! Read to me You can't go wrong at any of Cumberland County's many branch libraries, but our bet is on a free program called Motheread. Two-hour sessions expose kids and caregivers to those beloved children's books and best yet, take a few to keep. Above | Northwood Temple MOPS members Ashleigh McCalhern, clockwise from bottom left, Mary Polhman, Katrina Lance, Stella Normand, Shawn Sand, Zena Guy.

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