Even while addressing a small room full of women, Kaaihue-Lujan's eye is trained to watch the petite, brown-eyed
toddler who's still a bit wobbly on her feet.
She doesn't offer an apology when her voice softens in mid-sentence to console the daughter she's just rescued from a potential
danger — even when her original thought remains unfinished.
But it doesn't matter. The women understand.
Like Kaaihue-Lujan, they're all mothers.
"When you hear something drop, you turn," Kaaihue-Lujan said, amid the loud cries and continuous chatter of the toddlers
and babies. "You learn that here."
She joins an average of 20 women for the monthly meeting of the North Central branch of the MOMS (Mothers to Offer Mothers
Support) Club of San Antonio. But the group — one of three that exist in San Antonio — has 52 members, said group
President Cristie.
Other branches are Northeast and Northwest, Kaaihue-Lujan said.
MOMS Club, an international nonprofit organization, has more than 1,800 chapters with more than 85,000 members in the United
States, said Rhona , Teasurer for the North Central group.
MOMS Club was begun in Simi Valley, Calif., by Mary James, a stay-at-home mother, in 1983. James established it to provide
support for at-home mothers and give them the opportunity to meet other mothers like them, Grieb said.
"We take care of each other," Lemke said. "We give each other support. When our kids are crying and screaming and we just
need to get out of the house, this gives us a good place to go."
Meetings, which last about an hour, feature speakers on topics that interest moms — anything from car seat and fire
safety to how to prepare children for kindergarten, said Kaaihue-Lujan, who also is the group's Membership Vice President.
Once a month, the members gather for a Mom's Night Out, Kaaihue-Lujan said. That's when fathers stay home to keep the children,
she added with a laugh.
They have two parties a year — one for the holidays and one, of course, for Mother's Day.
The group also looks for volunteer opportunities each month — some activities at local homeless shelters, others
at the Children's Bereavement Center.
"We really want to be advocates to teach our children that you want to give back to the community," Kaaihue-Lujan said.
"They need to understand that it's not about getting. It's all about giving."
One of the teaching tools they use, she said, is taking their children to the park and having them pick up trash.
The mothers also plan group events during the week — taking their children to the San Antonio Zoo or the Children's
Museum or letting them browse the children's section at a bookstore while the mothers relax with a cup of coffee.
"This group gives mothers a chance to get out of the house and talk with other adults," Grieb said.
And that's important, she said, when all you do for most of the day is talk to a 3-year-old.
Members of the group support each other and learn from each other, Kaaihue-Lujan said.
"We talk about how to raise children and go over problems that mothers may encounter along the way," she said, shifting
her squirming daughter to her other hip. "We give them an outlet for emotional support."
"We talk about the types of issues that every mother is going through," Grieb said. "And we give mothers a chance to know
that they are appreciated."
Kaaihue-Lujan said many of the group's members have come from the business world — trading large salaries, status
and job advancement for the full-time job of raising their children.
Most agree that it's one of the hardest jobs in the world — but, at the same time, well worth its challenges.
After all, Kaaihue-Lujan said, nothing compares to seeing her baby's firsts.
