I am a first-time mom to Victoria, who turned two at the end of April, 2011. I'm also relatively new to the Niagara region, having relocated from Massachusetts in August of 2009. Searching for other moms/dads/caregivers and kids to play with can be difficult if you're new to a region or new to the world of childcare! It doesn't always seem appropriate to swap phone numbers in the park after meeting someone once, even if you think they're great and your kids get along well, but who knows when you'll run into these people again? There are fantastic groups in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, Ontario, but there are no official groups (that I've found, anyway) that encompass Niagara Falls, Lewiston, Youngstown, Sanborn, Wheatfield, etc., and there are no groups that specifically include caregivers other than moms... until now!

What I hope to form is a group of open-minded, kind, welcoming people who take care of young children (or other family members). We can meet at various locations, enjoy events together, chat online, and generally offer activity options when the days look bleak (and on rainy or snowy days, boy can they look bleak!).

I am a member of three other mommies groups, so I've gotten a fairly good idea of what's involved, but I'm hoping to form a group that doesn't have a specific "leader." In my experience, those groups can get fairly tense. Every member who joins is automatically given the position of "Co-organizer," which means you can schedule your own events, without my help. I also don't want to charge membership dues. I'll cover the cost of the Meetup page and the advertising (although contributions will always be welcomed) and if we ever want to have whole-group mega events, we can all contribute what we can, as appropriate.

Let's get together, have some fun, and raise some great kids!