SacMomsClub.com

Jen (Dual-career mom of Jacob 5, and Caleb, 2): Did you know I have a Momtourage?

Kelli (Stay-at-home mom of Logan 8, and Whitney 7): Traded in your gas-guzzling, kid carting SUV for an economy car, huh?

Jen: Hey, I'll trade in mine if you trade in yours.

Kelli: I don't know. After that last trip to Costco and double playdate, I'm thinking I need to continue taking one for the team.

Jen: We digress. No, I'm talking about what I read recently on iVillage - Who's in Your Momtourage? It's the new term for mom friends who help each other bear the load of parenthood.

Kelli: Then I definitely have my own Momtourage, too. I've got Heidi who offers to take my kids for me so I can get some work done. I've got Jennifer who considers my kids her own and is always there to lend a hand. I've got Michelle who's happy to add my errands to her errand list. I've got Diana who'll wait with my kids after school if I'm running behind.

Jen: Exactly! And I'm sure you reciprocate too - you're in their Momtourage.

Kelli: Definitely. I've brought meals over during tough times, I've taken kids when I realized a mom friend needed a break. I'm happy to see extra faces in the rear view mirror of my oversized, gas-guzzling SUV just as if they were my own kids.

Jen: I couldn't do it without my Momtourage. I definitely need the extra assistance as a working mom. I've got Maggie, Brooke, and Deanne firmly in my corner. They've all got kids the same age as mine and are definitely the women I trust to watch my own.

Kelli: It's a great feeling knowing I can always throw out the Mom S.O.S. and someone will answer.

Jen: But not just physically unloading a burden from your overwhelmed mom shoulders. A Momtourage is your emotional support too. Only other moms know what you're really going through with new babies, testing toddlers or disobedient kids. Or can appreciate the milestone of a child going "poopy in the potty" when other people don't even want to hear about it!

And it's nice to have someone, without much explanation, who can appreciate the pressure of being a room mom, team mom, dual-career mom or whatever.

Kelli: No kidding. My first Momtourage - a mommy's playgroup - I grasped onto like a drowning woman thrown a life ring. We pretended like we were getting together for the kids, but it was really new moms looking for commiseration and validation.

Jen: And that's where we met! It was like this new found club, this camaraderie with having kids, but you need your girlfriends to keep you sane.

Kelli: Of course, an extension of that became Girls Night Out. A Momtourage of women who became friends beyond their children and who knew the value of taking time for themselves.

Jen: I love getting all dressed up and hitting the town with my Momtourage to remind me that there is a woman inside the mother shell. Plus, sometimes I feel I can't complain to my husband without it sounding like whining, but it's really the Momtourage who will listen, commiserate and then split a pint of Ben and Jerry's with you.

Kelli: Oooh, give me a spoon, I'm there.

Jen: I've got one with your name on it. All my Momtourage friends do.

Kelli Wheeler is a Sacramento stay-at-home mom of two, always ready to expand her Momtourage.

Jen Hall is a Sacramento dual-career mom of two who attributes her ability to multitask to her awesome Momtourage!

You Know You're in a Momtourage When:

1. Another mom knows she can call you at a moment's notice to take her kids for her.
2. Part of your carpool routine is to hit 7-Eleven for a round of Slurpees.
3. At any time you've made an extra meal for dinner and brought it to a struggling mother.
4. You get a call from a mom friend just to remind you how great you are.
5. You've sat on a park bench and had a detailed discussion with another mom about bowel movements.
6. Three of the kids in your car are not your own.
7. Girls Night Out can't start until husbands are home, kids are handed off and you've got on those cute new shoes to show off.
8. You get a call on your cell phone telling you not to drive like a mad woman through town to get to school -- they've got an eye on your kids for you.
9. You call another mom from Target to see if you can pick something up for them while you're there.
10. Your girlfriend shows up with a pan of brownies because she knows you're PMSing.