24/7 MOMS in the Gig Harbor Gateway

Weekend conference comes to moms’ rescue24/7 Moms hopes to inspire and inform local women raising a family

Susan Schell
of the Gateway
Published: 01:34PM October 8th, 2008


There’s a new organization in town for moms.

“24/7 Moms” will host its first two-day conference Friday and Saturday at the Best Western Wesley Inn in Gig Harbor. The group’s founder, Gig Harbor’s Trisha Novotny, hopes attendees will walk away inspired the the knowledge that what they do really matters.

“Being a mom is the most important job in the world,” she said. “They’re raising little people. Yet a lot of them don’t feel appreciated. The family consumes them, and they feel like they have to do it all.”

Novotny was a member of MOPS International — Mothers of Preschool Children — for 13 years. She formed 24/7 Moms in January to help mothers connect with each other after those preschool years.

“All those years I realized there was nothing after that,” Novotny said. “I wanted to begin an organization by getting other moms together. It’s not just those preschool years — we want to be there for moms struggling with teenagers as well. Our goal is to inspire, equip and connect moms in all stages of mothering.”

Novotny said today’s families are overwhelmed because there are more expectations on them. Many don’t have the support of an extended family.

“Back in the 1930s and ’40s, women had grandmothers, sisters and aunts around them,” she said. “People didn’t pack up and move out of town. I raised five children with no family around me.

“We move away because of jobs and the military. We want moms to realize that there are others out there like them. We want to provide them with a support group.”

The conference this weekend will feature guest speakers from across the nation, including author and mothering expert Julie Barnhill, Dream Dinners co-founder Stephanie Allen and Krista Colvin, a guest blogger for Working Mother Magazine.

Guest speaker Alicia Gunderson, a leader for MOPS, will talk about “identity for moms.”
“I think when we give birth, our identity falls out at the same time,” she said. “We have to rediscover who we are. We can find ways to utilize our strengths and weaknesses in this new journey called mothering.”

Gunderson said stress is the new identity thieves for moms.

“We’re always trying to live up to others’ expectations,” she said. “We need to come back to basics. We need to know we’re loved just how we are and that, if we accept ourselves, our kids will learn how to accept themselves and others how they are.”

For more information or for a conference schedule, visit www.247momsconference.com.

For information about the organization, call 253-222-5434. A Web site is under construction for the group at www.247moms.com.

24/7 Moms conference this weekend
For conference schedule or to register, visit www.247momsconference.com.

Dates: Friday and Saturday.

Place: Best Western Wesley Inn and Conference Center, 6575 Kimball Drive in Gig Harbor.

Reach reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.