Bench donated to Maumelle park by moms’ group

By Sara Greene

LITTLE ROCK — Maumelle Mommy and Me provides a way for mothers of preschoolers to get together, and since they spend a lot of time at Lake Willastein Park, the group decided to donate a bench to enhance the area for others.

The metal bench, coated in blue plastic, sits atop a concrete pad with four ceramic tiles decorated by the Mommy and Me preschoolers.

The Maumelle Mommy and Me organization for mothers of preschoolers has been providing activities for children and their mothers such as arts and crafts or going to the community swimming pool for nearly 10 years.

Amber Barham said Maumelle Mommy and Me has about 70 mothers participating.

“We pay dues and spend a lot of time at Lake Willastein Park, so we thought we should invest our leftover money back into the community by buying the bench,” Barham said.

She said it cost about $350.

Maumelle Mommy and Me gives back to the community in other ways, too. During the holidays, members collect for the Maumelle Friends of the Animal rescue group and the Women and Children First shelter.

“I think the biggest misconception about stay-at-home moms is that they don’t do anything or that they’re ‘just a mom;’ there is so much more,” Barham said.

Christina Myerski and her two daughters, Francesca, 6, and Evelyn, 4, are part of Maumelle Mommy and Me.

“We joined it when we first moved here from out of state when Francesca was only 6 months old, so my daughter got to grow up with a whole nice set of friends. She took her first steps with her friend Megan, and they’re still close friends,” Myerski said.

Being a new mom in a new town made Myerski feel a little bit isolated, she said, and the group provided a way to get out and about with other mothers.

“One of my favorite activity is taking meals to new moms. It’s nice to talk to someone who understands like other moms,” Myerski said.

Myerski has held several officer positions in the Maumelle Mommy and Me organization.

“Now that Francesca is schoolage we still do art projects with Mommy and Me along with the after school projects. Lauren enjoys the play-dates the best,” Myerski said.

She said the biggest misconception about stay-at-home moms are homebound.

“I think mostly we’re on the go, going to different activities,” Myerski said.

Melanie Cornwell and her children, Tom, 7, and Lauren, 3, also became involved with Mommy and Me when they relocated to Maumelle.

“When we first moved here in 2003, Tom had just turned 2 and we didn’t know anyone at all. We were at the community center and met another mom, who told us about Mommy and Me. It was a great way to meet other moms with children Tom’s age,” Cornwell said.

Cornwell said grew up in north Arkansas, but lived in Missouri for 10 years, so she wasn’t familiar with the Little Rock area.

“It helped me get involved with other moms, such as the nights out at the movies or dinner out. By visiting with the other moms, I learned about the different doctors and pediatricians in the area,” Cornwell said.

River Valley Ozark, Pages 121, 133 on 07/06/2008