My New Project

It has been a while since I have posted an entry to my blog. My original intent for the blog, and website, was to talk about all things relavent to parenting young children. I suppose since my elder child is about to turn five, and the younger one will be three, I have moved on from the panic stage of parenting. Besides, I spend so much of my time participating in activities held by my local Best Start Hub, I no longer feel overwhelmed.

Back in 2007, I was desperately looking for resources and activities to help me become a good parent, and to get me out of the house. Sudbury, it seemed, had a limited number of programs in comparison to what you could find in the Greater Toronto Area. I felt I could serve a purpose by finding those few parent and baby/tot activities, and informing the general public about them. I also had dream of recipe sharing, and parents forming their own little playgroups via online connections. The website never really took off, and only my friends check out the blog, or Facebook page. I also realized I am not an extremely ambitious person.

I was hoping if I told enough of my friends they would tell enough of their friends, and eventually the website would grow from word of mouth. Things do not generally work that way. Yes, there are viral videos, and campaigns, but the majority of things get popular through actual marketing, and money invested. I was not willing to invest huge amounts of my own money into this project, especially without having any expertise in web design, PR, or marketing.

The year I launched my website, SudburyMoms.com came about. They were interviewed on CBC Morning North, and it looked like they had some money out into this project. I made business cards and had my friend interview me on Canada Day for a French radio station. I contacted a few people who may or may not have had successful parenting websites elsewhere, but the more I became informed, the more I realized this was not the business for me.

Many of the people I contacted offered to franchaise their websites to the Sudbury area. Others explained they were web designers, so the money they would have invested in someone else doing their web page was covered. Others offered to hire me to manage a branch of their own website for the Greater Sudbury Area, and then I would have been a door to door salesperson, asking for advertizing money, and working for a commission.

What had I been seeking in creating this website? I was looking for a way to connect with other parents like me. I was seeking a way to help increase the knowledge, and access to services for parents of younger children. But, as we all know, those children grow up, and our demographic interests change. If I had kept having babies, maybe I would have spent more time trying to make the website work. Parenting advice and parent/tot activities are niche activities. Your clientele is constantly changing, growing up, and moving on. It is very difficult to see the needs of other groups when we are so very focused on our own needs. And, our needs change as we grow.

In the past five years since my daughter was born, I have found a most wonderful resource in Our Children Our Future. Originally, they were fantastic because they provided resources for new and expecting moms, and a safe environment for infants to play. Since becoming a Best Start Hub provider, they have been able to offer our community many activities, and opportunites we might not have tried for lack of funds, or people to go with. I have met a lot of interesting families through my interactions with OCOF and Best Start. It has definitely made me feel more like a part of my community, and this is especially important for people who are not originally from Sudbury, or The Valley. I was able to make friends, and "network" in person at the playgroups. Although, I am sure there is probably someone out there developing the Facebook for parents, or an app to find a parent with similar interests to you, I still like the actual face to face interaction I get when I participate in activities hosted by OCOF.

So, my final word of advice to new and expecting parents is to find you local Best Start Hub, and see what they have to offer your community. Also, check out the libraries, and local schools often have playgroups as a means of attracting students. We are very lucky to live in Sudbury because there are many French activities available as well.

Oh, and my New Project? I have decided I am going to try to write something on my blog at least once a day. I am not promising I will be able to post what I write every day, but I am going to try and write something every day. I have my ipad, so as long as it is charged up, I should be able to spend half an hour typing something up. I am not guaranteeing any of what I write is going to be interesting to read, but as it stands, I have very few followers, so I am essentially doing this for myself. This will be like an online journal, probably.

I keep listening to Spark, on CBC, and getting inspired, only to get bogged down by my daily routine later on in the day. Plus, I spend a lot of time goofing off, playing solitaire, or watching Netflix. Probably not the most productive use of my time. I am looking for a sense of purpose, and maybe writing daily will help me with this. Until tomorrow.

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