Austin Preschool Mothers Club (APMC)

Sample newsletter

Welcome to the new (well, sort of) APMC newsletter...
As you'll read in this edition, the APMC is working to update, energize and engage our resources and members in many ways. As we move forward on all of the above, we are considering an email-based newsletter - the hipsters call that an "e-newsletter", right? - to make it easier to distribute and access current club info. So read on, let us know what you think and stay tuned!

Ring in the APMC New Year!
On Tuesday, May 6th, the APMC held its annual Year-End Social to celebrate the end of the official APMC year, recognize the hard work of the 2007-8 board AND to introduce the club's new Governing Board, which takes the lead in planning and organizing club activities, events and resources throughout the year...although it takes all the members to make it work!

On behalf of the entire club, a HUGE Thank You to the ladies on the 2007-8 board:
Carmen Sifuentes, Megan Haley, Kristie Hemenway, Stephanie Doherty, Lisa Tully, Jennifer Bradford, Lisa Serface, Monica Lane, Lara Bull, Sylvia Alexander, Kathie Tam, Julie Kennedy, Cara Mueller, Allison Mitchell and Jennifer Robinson.

We appreciate everything you have done over the past year! This includes several moms who are staying on in board positions in the coming year - a special thanks to each of you for helping with transition and for bringing your continued energy to the club.
Your 2008-2009 APMC Governing Board

Title	Name
President	Lane Pollack
Vice President	AnnMarie Melendrez
Director of Finance	Kristie Hemenway
Director of Communications	Julie Kennedy
Community Service Coordinator	Jennifer Bradford
Playgroup Coordinator	Kathie Tam
Childcare Coordinator	Lane Pollack
Moms Night Out Coordinators	Lisa Tully & Megan Haley
Book Club Coordinator	Julie Kennedy
Field Trip Coordinator	Carmen Sifuentes
Publicity Coordinator	Kelly Salas
Newsletter Editor	Lane Pollack (Acting)

Open Positions we invite you to consider:

Contact lane@lospollacks.com to find out more!

Member Outreach Coordinator: Meals to moms in times of need
Hospitality Coordinator: Refreshments and setup at meetings
Programs Coordinator: Speakers & General Meeting topics
Family Night Out Coordinator: Fun events for evenings out

APMC Going Strong This Summer
Please join us this summer as several fun APMC activities continue…
All our playgroups will have meetings and activities going on:

2003-4 Playgroup: Megan Haley
2005 Playgroup: Robin Kelland
2006-7 Playgroup: Lane Pollack

Plus, we'll be meeting up at local pools, water parks and other cooling-off spots around town during the day, and coordinating Mom's Night Out to enjoy warm evenings on the town. Watch your email for more information, and don't forget the sunscreen.
Playgroup at Nature Center

APMC moms and kids at the Austin Nature and Science Center --
the Dino Pit is a club favorite!

Please Submit Your Year-End Survey!
Find it Online in the "Members Only" section of www.austinmothers.org
Submit by midnight the night of Sunday, May 18th and you will be entered to win a $15 gift certificate to Starbuck's.

Website Under Construction
The APMC website is a key point of contact and connection for both new and current members, and we've had the good fortune of receiving website support - design, content, hosting and more - from volunteers and friends of the club. Now it's time for a refresh of our online look and offerings, so keep an eye on www.austinmothers.org.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Moms,
Another club year is officially coming to an end but summer in Austin holds so many opportunities for fun that I am sure we will be seeing each other all throughout the summer! Whether or not your children are in school, summer has this more casual, unstructured kind of feel to it. The days are longer and because the Texas heat can get brutal we try to get out of the house earlier in the day, making for some long days to fill! I hope to be able to get Benicio and Nico to most of the swim playdates, most of the Children's Day Art Park Events at Symphony Square and we are going to see how many of the free or $1 kids movies we can get to on time! Perhaps if you hear of any other fun family friendly events, you can email the rest of us and we can join each other for some outings. After all, everything is more fun in the company of friends!

I would like to thank each of you for the opportunity to serve as the APMC President this past year. It was a great experience and I was glad to be able to give back to the club that has made my family so many wonderful friends. I am very excited to have Lane Pollack taking over for the 2008-2009 Club Year and I have no doubt that she will do an outstanding job! My boys and I have been enjoying getting to know her and her daughters, Scout and Meadow, and we know you will too! Enjoy your Summer and Benicio, Nico and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,
Carmen Sifuentes
APMC President, 2007-2008

CHECK IT OUT
Austin Mom News And Resources Around Town

Little Lounge Lizards Keepin' It Weird for the Kiddo Set
www.littleloungelizards.com
A dance party for ages 10 and under and their adults held in a popular Austin nightclub, Momo's, on the first Saturday of every month with a hip DJ spinning hits from the 70's, 80's and 90's on up!
Baby Scoop Austin

www.babyscoopaustin.com
(From their site…) Baby Scoop Austin, born August 2007, has the SCOOP on everything baby! Whether you are expecting your first bundle of joy, or have three kiddos in tow, Baby Scoop Austin provides the essentials for motherhood. Baby Scoop Austin is a fun and savvy website for local moms, that delivers a free weekly e-newsletter loaded with "Scoop" on what to do, where to shop, and how to get connected.

RECIPE CORNER
Megan Haley shares two of her family's faves:
There's a cookie recipe I really like on the Williams-Sonoma website, for Banana-Oatmeal Power Cookies.
It's adaptable and a yummy cookie recipe. Click here for the recipe.

And I also love making these yummy stuffed bread pouches from Cooking Light called bierocks; I double the stuffing components when I make them. You can also stuff them with just about anything you have on hand. They are slightly labor intensive but awesome. And you can freeze them! Click here for recipe.

Word of Mom...
Have a recipe or snack idea to share in the next newsletter? As moms, we welcome new ideas to spice it up a little, so to speak...email it to lane@lospollacks.com.

CONGRATULATIONS!

To AnnMarie Melendrez and her family, on the birth of her son, Noah Emilio Melendrez Born January 16, 2008
To Allison Mitchell and her family, on the birth of her son, Rowan Ketchum Mitchell April 4, 2008

APMC's Member Outreach:
Moms Helping Moms
Remember to let us know about happy arrivals and times of need of any kind that your fmaily has so we can send good wishes... and FOOD! The APMC's Member Outreach provides meals to moms and families with new babies or in times of other important transition and loss.

And help the APMC give a fellow mom support in times of need. Volunteer for the Member Outreach team to deliver meals to our members when they need help the most!

MOM IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Connecting with other moms in the Austin area is one of the best parts of the APMC…
Meet Robin Kelland, of Dripping Springs, Mom to Logan (2) and Lily (18 months) and our new 2005 Playgroup Coordinator.

- What did you do before having kids?
I worked for Yum! Restaurants International helping to manage the building of Pizza Huts, Taco Bells, KFC's, A&W's and Long John Silvers in other countries.

- What was your toughest challenge when Lily/child #2 came along?
A month after Lily was born my husband, Colin, and I put our house in Arlington, TX up for sale. Colin had been offered a job in Austin and we jumped at the chance to move down here. Since Colin started his new job right away we decided that I would stay behind until the house was sold. It was difficult because I was alone with a newborn, a 2-year-old, 2 dogs and a cat. Trying to keep the house clean for showings and juggle the needs of the kids was a challenge. We lived like this for 4 months. The worst week was when the tornado sirens went off 2 days in a row. I remember being crammed in our utility room and calling Colin in tears telling him he was going to have to quit his job and come back because I couldn't take it anymore! It's funny now, but at the time I was a mess. The up-side to that experience is that I feel like I can handle almost anything now!

- Why did you join the APMC?
To meet other like-minded moms and have fun playdates and activities for the kids. What was one funny thing that Logan said in the past few days/week? Last week I helped Logan get out of the car to go to the gym playcenter and he said, "Mommie, don't tell the other kids I'm a spy!"

- Why Dripping Springs?
One of our long term goals as a family was to move to the Austin area. We chose Dripping Springs because we enjoy being outdoors and want to be close to family (most all of my family lives in Austin). We live far enough away from Austin that my husband feels like we are in the country and just close enough to the city so I don't feel isolated. It's the perfect combination for us.