It is perfectly natural for new and expectant mothers to desire the companionship and support of others who are going through the same life changes that they are experiencing. In previous generations, families lived in the same places all their lives. New and expectant mothers had a massive network of family and friends at their disposal for support and comfort. In modern times, families are spread out all over the country (and sometimes all over the world) and this can make a new mom feel isolated or alone, when it doesn't have to be that way. That is why we are here.
This group's activities will be located in the north Austin/Round Rock/Cedar Park area. We are accepting members from the following locations:
All points north of 2222/290 & I-35 in Austin.
All points south of I-35 & 29 in Georgetown.
And from the following areas:
Anderson Mill
Arboretum
Brushy Creek
Georgetown
Hutto
Leander
All parenting types are welcome. We do not exclude based on age, relationship status, religion, race, or sexual orientation. Our only requirements are that you be a new, expecting or adopting mother and that you please leave drama at the door and have a good time!
Be sure to check out our FAQ as well!! If you are interested in hosting a playdate or any other meetup, contact the organizer and we can hammer out details. If you are curious as to how playdates work, check out our How to Host a Playdate page
Some very important notesWho can join?We
require that our members be
new, expecting or adopting moms. If your child was born after May 2007 or conceived at any point during 2008, you are welcome to join. We have this requirement so that our children will all be near the same age as we have found this helps maintain group cohesiveness.
What about dues?We do have a membership fee of $10.00 per person, per year, which comes out to about 80 cents per person, per month. Meetup.com charges the organizer of this group up to $240/year depending on how often the subscription is paid, so your contribution is what keeps this group running. Paypal is accepted or you can make a cash contribution to the organizer at meetings. Your yearly fee will be due within your first 30 days of membership. If you decide before 30 days that Awesome Austin Moms isn't the group for you, you are free to remove your membership from the group and you will not be required to pay the membership fee. No one will be angry with you or hurt if you decide to leave. :) Shortly before your fees are due, a reminder will be sent to you. You will have 5 days from your due date to get your fees paid and after that your membership will be removed. If your membership is removed and you would like to rejoin, remit your payment to get your membership current and reapply for admission. :)
Do I have to fill out my profile?In short, yes.
Before we can accept you as a member, you MUST fill out your profile and have a RECENT PICTURE of yourself in your profile. If your profile does not have a picture, your application
WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Applicants seeking membership who do not include a picture in their profile will be sent a message requesting that a picture be added and from that point, you will have one week to add a picture. If a picture is not added during this time,
your application will be denied and you will be sent an email notifying you as to why. If your application was denied on the grounds of not having a picture, you may add a picture to your profile and reapply for admission. This picture does not need to be your main picture, but should be included in your profile. We have this requirement for a couple reasons. First is a safety reason. We want to make sure you are who you say you are! In addition, having a recent picture of yourself will help us locate each other at events. Filling out your profile will give us an idea of who you are and will help us determine if you are right for this group.
What about attendance?We require that a new member attends at least one meetup within a month of joining the group. We have meetups various days of the week and at various times, so there should be at least one meetup that you can attend. The purpose of coming to a meetup within the first month is to determine whether this group is right for you and/or your baby. We understand that, as a new mama, it may be difficult for you to get away, but we require that you to come to at least two meetups a month once you are an established member. Obviously, the more you come to, the better! Members who have not attended a meetup within 2 months will be removed from the group for inactivity (unless you have contacted the organizer in advance about not being able to attend any events for a while).
We ask that you try to RSVP to as many events as you can. RSVPing helps the organizer and assistant organizers plan meetups accordingly. Please RSVP even if you RSVP "no" to an event. This enables us to find out how many of our members are interested in which events. Organizers and hostesses often spend a great deal of time, energy and funds preparing for an event, and there is very little more frustrating than getting 6 "yes" RSVPs, spending an entire afternoon preparing for the event and the whole evening waiting around for people to show up and then having to put everything away because no one updated their RSVPs when their plans changed. So please take just a second out of the day to RSVP for events. Whether your answer is yes, no, or maybe, it helps with preparation and future planning. Some events only allow a Yes or No RSVP due to the need for a commitment from you because of a reservation or minimum fee so please keep that in mind when RSVPing. Also, we understand that things can come up at the last minute but out of respect for all members, we ask that you update your RSVPs when you will be unable to attend, and, when possible contact your hostess via email or phone call.
Be sure to RSVP accurately! Please read the following RSVP terms to understand what your response means.
RSVPing "yes" means that you are able to attend an event on a scheduled day and time. Please only select this option if you are absolutely sure you will be able to attend the event. Please change your RSVP accordingly if you have any doubts about being able to attend the event or find out at a later point in time that you will be unable to come. If you are unable to come to the event at last minute, then please just indicate that in the survey meetup.com emails, send a message directly to, or CALL the event host or organizer. Please indicate if you will be bringing a child or a guest with you. If you are bringing more than one child, or will be bringing a friend, your husband, etc. please indicate that by adding the appropriate number of guests when you RSVP. After failing to show up for 3 events that you have RSVP'd "yes" to, you will be removed from this meetup group.
RSVPing "maybe" means you want to come to the event being held that day, but may have a conflict. Perhaps that potential conflict is your little one's nap, or the time of day that the event is scheduled to occur. Essentially, the "maybe" RSVP tell us that this event interests you, but you may or may not be unable to attend depending on the events that occur on that day.
RSVPing "no" means you will not be able to attend a meetup due to a conflict of some sort. RSVPing "no" is very important to us. When you RSVP "no", indicate why it is you wont be able to attend that event. Maybe the event is scheduled during your little one's nap time, or you will be out of town, or the event is too far from your house. No matter what your response is, it will help us plan future events.
I have an idea!We love great ideas! If you have an idea or a suggestion for a meetup, please do not hesitate to let the organizer or assistant organizers know. We will make every effort to include your meeting on our calendar. You never know what might be fun. :)
What if.... ?While this has
never been an issue in any event that we've ever had, other members are NOT RESPONSIBLE for any injuries received by you or your child while at a meetup hosted by any other member of this group.
If you or your child are sick, please stay at home. You will have our deepest sympathies and most heartfelt well-wishes, but being sick while you're pregnant is not fun. Having a sick baby is not fun. While we love your company, we don't love your germs. ;)
What if I need to terminate my membership? What can cause my membership to be revoked?If at any time or for any reason you feel the need to terminate your membership, you may do so. This can be done either from your profile or by asking the organizer to do it for you. If you are still within your first 30 days of membership and have not yet paid dues, no dues will be requested from you. If you have already paid dues, unfortunately that cannot be refunded at this point in time as the dues collected from members go directly towards group operating costs as soon as the funds are collected or shortly thereafter. In the future, it is possible that we may be able to refund dues on a pro-rated scale, but while we are still a new group, it is not feasible.
We do, however, reserve the right to terminate the membership of any person found to be in violation of the following:
1. Inactivity. We ask you to participate in at least 2 events per month. We understand that things come up, but outside of those extenuating circumstances, we expect you to participate.
The group can only be as active as its members. New mothers are an example of people with extenuating circumstances. For the first 2 months after a baby is born, mom is not required to attend meetups. She most certainly can if she wishes, but she does not have to. After the first two months, we generally expect new mamas to come to at least one event per month for the next 2 months and return to "full time" status after that. For members without extenuating circumstances, if after 2 months you have not come to any meetings, your membership will be revoked.
2. Non-payment of dues. Membership fees are due within 30 days of joining. It is *essential* to the function of this group that membership fees be paid in a timely fashion. As stated previously, meetup.com charges the organizer of this group up to $240/year to operate the group and the organizer accepts payment through paypal or by cash at a meetup. If you are paying by cash and unable to attend a meetup and the time to pay your fee is drawing near, contact the organizer and arrangements can be made to collect your dues. :)
3. Frequent No-Shows. If you RSVP "yes" to an event and fail to attend, that is a no-show. We do not have to explain why this is rude and unfair to both the hostess of the event and the other guests in attendance. Three no-shows will result in immediate revocation of your membership unless truly extenuating circumstances apply to your situation.
4. Gossip or Cattiness. We are obviously trying to promote a community of respect and support. We can only do that if we are all willing to hold ourselves accountable for the positivity or negativity we perpetuate. We are not trying to police your behavior but instead we ask you to police yourself. Gossiping and catty behavior are not only harmful to the person on the receiving end, but it is harmful to the rest of the group as well. In short, treat others the way you would want to be treated: with kindness and respect. Unkind and disrespectful behavior can result in revocation of your membership.

THANK YOU

for reading this! We are very glad that you are interested enough in our group to read this page. If you have any questions or if there are any extenuating circumstances or special situations that prevent you from meeting any of the group policies please contact the organizer and so it can be discussed further! We are flexible and can work with you on just about any situation. :)
Thanks again!
Awesome Austin Moms Organizer Team