SouthernMamas reader Elizabeth St. Lawrence will offer an informative class to parents, grandparents and parents-to be on the basics of cloth diapering.

Elizabeth was featured in a SouthernMamas Q&A on cloth diapering here. Cloth Diapering 101 will be 10 AM-noon Sat., September 12 @ Just for Baby & More, 7701 Waters Ave.

Cloth Diapering 101 class is free and open to the public. Please register by calling 912-355-4455 or email welshcasey@gmail.com.

First 20 registrants will receive a $15 gift card.

Also, in honor of Grandparent’s Day, Sept. 13, grandparents can bring in their grandchild’s picture and receive a choice gift card from the “giving tree”.

Remember every Wednesday, grandparents receive a 15 percent discount on gift and clothing purchase.

We have some wonderful, active moms groups in the Savannah-Pooler area. Many start up their regular meetings in September. And almost all provide some type of childcare during meetings. For moms with children older than preschool, check out the new MomsNext group, also listed below!

To have your group included in this list, email the info to anne@southernmamas.com

New Moms Group in Guyton
A new moms group is beginning on Sept. 3 at 10 AM @ Liberty Christian Fellowship in Guyton.
The group will meet every Thursday morning with a fun educational field trip every 3rd Thursday of each month. For both mom and children. All moms and grandmothers are welcome.
For more info. contact Lisa Cobb at 912.728.6844.
No cost to be a part of this group.

“Fall into Fun with the MOMS Club!”
When: Tues. Sept. 15 @ 10 AM
Where: Rincon First United Methodist Church, 107 Savannah Ave, Rincon
Come learn about all the MOMS Club has to offer stay-at-home moms in the Effingham County area. Featuring a talk by a local Registered Dietician who will share tips on growing a healthy family. Door prizes and free child care available.
For more info, contact Jennifer @ jenn.welch@hotmail.com or 247-6655.

Pooler MOPS (Mother of Preschoolers): First meeting is Wed. Sept 9 from 9:30-11:30 AM.
The group meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at First Presbyterian Church of Pooler, 305 HWY 80 SE, Pooler.
For more info, click here.

Islands MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)
Meets at: First Baptist Church of the Islands, 6613 Johnny Mercer Blvd. Savannah
Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday, beginning Sept. 9.
9:15-11:30AM
All mothers of children ages 0-5 are welcome!
Call Laura at 898-0869 or Frankie at 897-6167 for more information.

MOMS Club of Savannah. The general membership meeting is Fri. Sept. 11 at Risen Savior church in Pooler. The group is not a church organization, but just uses the church meeting and playroom for monthly meetings. Contact: email rorydennette@aol.com.

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) of Calvary in Savannah.
Meets Sept thru May on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month.
The 1st Friday is at Calvary in Savannah (63rd and Waters) at 9:30 AM.
The 3rd Friday is a playdate at various places.
Contact: email klynnparker@Yahoo.com

The Cabrini Moms will resume meetings on Thursday, Sept. 3 from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. The group meets at St Frances Cabrini Catholic Church on Middleground Rd in the parish hall. Meetings are held on the first and third Thursdays of the month. Childcare is available at most meetings. Women of all faiths are welcome to join. Contact 912.220.5329.

MomsNext: A group for mothers of school-age kids. (A post-MOPS group)
As mothers enter the school years, new challenges and issues arise, but the need for community and hope remains. For this reason, moms are launching a ministry to mothers of school-age kids. Starting in October, monthly meetings will be held at the Islands YMCA, from 10:am-11:30pm. Please call 898-4344 or 210-0491 for more info and to register.
Where? Islands YMCA 6613 Johnny Mercer Blvd, Savannah
When? 1st Monday of each month. 10-11:30 AM Starting in October
For a registration fee of $23.95, MomsNext allows you membership with MOPS International. Membership includes the following:
The book Raising Great Kids, eMagazine (on line magazine), and weekly encouraging Mom-E-Mails.
Tips and ideas to raise great kids and local friendships with other moms.
Confidential scholarships are available upon request
Childcare is available to YMCA members at no cost. ($5 for non members.)
To register, contact:
Jen: 210-0491 Jennykay803@hotmail.com
Connie: 898-4344 Gbcon2@comcast.net

Savannah Area Attachment Parenting Group
Are you looking to meet other parents in Savannah and the surrounding area who believe in gentle discipline and natural parenting? Then please check out this group! Pregnant, new birth or adoptive parent, and extended attached parents are welcome.
Parents in this group practice any of the following: Gentle discipline including no crying-it-out or spanking; Night time parenting (co-sleeping or sleeping near your baby); Feeding with love and respect (breastfeeding or bottle if necessary); Using nurturing touch including baby wearing, baby massage, hugging, snuggling…
Other interests discussed and supported in the group include home learning, cloth diapering, elimination communication, selective vaccination, organic food consumption or vegetarianism, and living a natural lifestyle.
The group includes parents from all walks of life who all have one thing in common: Wanting the most gentle parenting style possible for the betterment of children and their futures.
For more info, click here.

Planning a child’s birthday party or your BFF’s baby shower can be stressful. How is a mere mortal supposed to choose the perfect items to include in the gift bags or create one of those amazing diaper cake centerpieces?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have your very own event planner to help you put it all together?  Posh Petals and Pearls to the rescue.

Posh Petals and Pearls will make your child’s birthday, your BFF’s baby shower or even your wedding day a unique and unforgettable event for you and your guests.  You’ll learn how to incorporate your own personal style into all of the party details.

Posh Petals and Pearls provides full-service wedding and event coordinating; specializing in classy, timeless and elegant designs serving the Savannah and Statesboro areas as well as the coastal Carolina area. 

Posh Petals and Pearls provides packages ranging from day-of directing to full service wedding consulting. The PPP pros specialize in planning events such as bridal related showers and parties, children’s birthdays, baby showers and any other event you may desire. A few examples of their work are pictured here.

Contact Tara Skinner and Ashley Greene via email poshpetalsandpearls@yahoo.com or call 912.596.6064 or 912.659.9590.

Shelby, 23, Cooper, 14, Hanna, 10

It’s among the most divisive questions in the realm of adoption: Should adoptees have access to their birth parents, and, as a result, be able to establish relationships with them and have questions answered about their backgrounds and medical histories?

Meet a Richmond Hill family who’s an example of the benefits of open adoption.  The Suddaths – parents Matt and Mary – their biological child, Shelby, 23, and two adopted children Hanna, 10, and Cooper, 14, (pictured here) believe open adoption is the most child-friendly option.  Read their story in my newspaper column this week. Click here to read.  

Hanna and Cooper, who are biracial, say being biracial children in a white family has challenges, but neither Hanna nor Cooper consider being racially different from their parents much of an issue.

You can find out more about open adoption at a “De-mystifying adoption” seminar, 2-4 pm Sun. Aug. 23 @ St. Anne Church, 10550 Ford Ave., Richmond Hill.  “Exploring the World of Adoption” is sponsored by St. Anne Church and the Parish Council of Catholic Women.

Free and open to the public. Featuring short talks by Birney Bull, adoption attorney; Mary Suddath, adoptive parent; a birth mother; and an adoption consultant as well as a Q&A session. Refreshments and a nursery are included. Participants can speak privately with speakers and adoptive parents representing various types of adoption. No reservations required.

Information: 912.756.3343.

Sending a child off to school can be scary. Sure moms joke about back-to-school being “the most wonderful time of the year” but that doesn’t mean it’s not also anxiety provoking.

Will the teacher like my child? Who will be the new classmates? Will they be good influences — or bad? Will my child struggle to make friends or deal with bullies or endure teasing? And most of all, will my child be safe?

What 175,000+ moms around the world have discovered is that back-to-school anxiety and fear can be replaced with peace and hope. And yes, even joy. Moms In Touch International impacts children and schools worldwide for Christ by gathering mothers and other interested women to pray. Learn more how you can become involved by visiting www.momsintouch.org or contacting Stacy Cerone at 228-4270, scerPM@comcast.net.

Dyslexia is one of the most misunderstood learning difficulties.

But help is available. The Reading Quest Learning Center in Pooler – a new sponsor of SouthernMamas – specializes in dyslexia and non-medication programs for ADD/ADHD. Recently, Reading Quest also added a program for autism.

Lesa Hall, who holds a B.S. in Education and has 15 years of teaching experience, founded Reading Quest Learning Center in May 2006. She uses the Davis Dyslexia Correction Program that addresses the learning styles of children and adults with dyslexia and ADD/ADHD.

The center’s philosophy is that dyslexia is not a disease, defect, or malformation of the brain, but a highly creative thought process and a special way of reacting to confusion.

The goal of Reading Quest’s 5-day intensive/one-on-one dyslexia program – which is also open to adults – is for the student to acquire the basic tools of literacy including:
-The ability to recognize and correct disorientations at will
-The ability to focus attention
-The knowledge of how to eliminate confusions in words and symbols
-Increased self-confidence and ability in reading writing math or physical skills

Reading Quest is offering a free consultation and assessment with a 10 percent discount off the program fee.

Read more about Reading Quest’ s dyslexia sessions by clicking here; by calling 912.330.8577 or emailing lesa@readingquestga.com.

The center’s new autism program is for children 8 and older as well as adults. Non-verbal students are accepted. For more info on the one-on-one, 4 to 5 week autism sessions, click here. Call 912.330.8577 to schedule a free presentation of the program.

If you often wonder whether your “mom rules” make sense and how to best implement them, then check out the Parenting with Dignity seminar, 7 pm Tues. Sept. 9 @ the Jewish Educational Alliance, 5111 Abercorn St.

The FREE two-hour parent coaching session is open to the public and sponsored by the Clinical Social Work Association of Savannah and Jewish Family Services.

It’s a chance to compare or discuss your parenting techniques and strategies with a clinically trained parenting professional and other parents. Presenter Helen D. Schandolph, LCSW has over 12 years experience in assisting families and their young, adolescent & adult children how to communicate, compromise and conciliate; and, as a result, function most optimally.

The learning objectives for the program are:

Learn to objectively assess your parenting style.
Explore the foundations of your thoughts and feelings about parenting.
Determine whether your parenting style is the most effective.
Learn skills to identify & cope with difficult emotions associated with parenting.
Learn to respect yourself as a parent and feel more comfortable in a parental role.

For more info, call 912.355.8111.