It Takes a Village . . .

One quick glance at any of our lovely local parks and you’ll immediately see dozens of mommies pushing strollers and chasing after kids in the playgrounds. The Cranford/Westfield area is positively teeming with young families. And parenting is HARD! A lot of new–and not-so-new!–mommies could benefit from a go-to hub that provides parenting resources and connects moms to experts and to other moms. Allison Levitt is one such Westfield mommy, and that’s why she launched MommyBites Union County http://mommybites.com/union-county-nj/

After leaving her full-time job to become a full-time mama, Alison quickly realized that she had nowhere to turn for relevant parenting advice other than the books that were collecting dust on her shelves. So she needed to get creative! The answer was MommyBites, which offers a slew of online resources as well as in-person events. On the website you’ll find dozens of parenting articles, support groups, a nanny board, and free online classes covering a broad range of topics from breastfeeding basics to promoting brain development through play.

MommyBites Union County will be hosting its first in-person event this Thursday, March 20, at 7:30 pm at Kidville in Westfield. The event is called “Photo Mama–Tips from a Pro: How to Take Better Pictures of Your Kids” and will be taught by local photographer Kira Theesfeld of Abigail Thomas Photography. Think of the money you could save on those awful department store portraits if you knew how to take professional-looking photos of your kids! The cost is $20 per person and includes wine, sweet treats, exclusive Kidville discounts, and a raffle to win a free photo session. (To register for tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/union-county-photo-mama-tips-from-a-pro-how-to-take-better-pictures-of-your-kids-tickets-10733382837)

According to Allison, “Photo Mama” is just the first of many interesting events to come. Down the pike will be a “Toddler One-on-One” class that will provided tips on potty training, managing epic tantrums (don’t you just LOVE those?), and dealing with separation anxiety. And look out for a MommyBites event with author Lisa Grace Byrne, author of the bestselling book “Replenish” about taking a calm approach toward parenting. Yep, I might need to sign up for that one.