Northern Michigan Moms making connections 

In a time when lives are busy and family time is every mom’s top priority, local parents are making virtual connections.

The place that more than 220 moms are calling their new coffee house is www.northernmoms.com, a Northern Michigan moms social networking site launched in March by Petoskey News-Review online editor, Julie Witthoeft.

“I truly feel there is no greater source for information about how to raise an emotionally, physically healthy family, than other parents. So often we get caught up in the day-to-day routine of work and home that we neglect our network of friends and family,” Witthoeft, a 30-year-old mother of two from Charlevoix, said.

“This is a place we can come to on our own time and pose questions about everything from potty training to making economically sound decisions for our families.”

The group celebrated its 100 member mark in June with a cookout at Depot Beach in Charlevoix and has since blossomed to more than 220 members.

Jessica Searles, a 33-year-old mom from Levering, said she’s hooked.

“I use it for connecting with local moms. I’m a part of quite a few other social networking sites, but I really like the local angle offered by Northern Michigan Moms. I can’t leave a post on the forum of a national mom’s group and ask opinions about local OBs or local pediatricians, but I can at Northern Michigan Moms. I was a member for a week when I received word through the site that there would be a Mom-to-Mom sale in my town. After that, I was hooked,” she said.

Aside from making connections from behind a keyboard, site members have stepped away from their computers to meet for play dates at local beaches and playgrounds.
“The only play groups that I am aware of in this area are during the day, which doesn’t work so great for working moms. I decided to set up evening play groups as a result of my frustration. It’s just getting started and with my busy schedule I haven’t always been the best about setting up dates, but when we have gotten together I’ve met a couple of really great moms,” said Anora Purdy, a 26-year-old mother of two and events director for Charlevoix’s Castle Farms, who joined the site in May.

The site’s not only an informational resource for parents, it also offers weekly e-mail updates of upcoming family-friendly events — such as mom-to-mom sales, festivals, hay rides, story hours and more.
Unlike the newspaper, which is defined by a geographic region, www.northernmoms.com has a limitless reach and attracts women who call northwest Michigan their vacation destination, their childhood home, a potential site to which they may relocate and their home base.

Its appeal has attracted new moms, experienced moms and even grandmothers wanting to share photo and video posts.

“From single moms, to stay-at-home or working moms, to moms of multiples we all share one thing in common — our unconditional love for our children and desire to see them succeed,” Witthoeft said.
For those leery of online social networking site security, Witthoeft said take solace in the privacy of the site.
“You have to be a member to access any of the site’s features and I personally police membership with a sharp eye and the ability to ban anyone,” she said.

To join this growing network of local moms visit www.northernmoms.com. For more information about the site, call Julie Witthoeft at (231) 439-9355 or contact her by e-mail at jwitthoeft@petoskeynews.com.