How Does It Work?

Cottage Minis helps you turn any article or current event into a course in liberty! Gather with your fellow moms to dig deeper into the news, commentary, and articles that you see around you every day. Our outline guides you and your friends into a meaningful discussion about topics that matter most to you. Forming a Cottage Minis group provides opportunities to put the information you’re learning into action, as well.

The Cottage Minis format is also great for creating a politically-oriented mommy and me playdate! This format is about as simple as it gets, so it’s great for busy moms who don’t have a chance to prepare beforehand, or moms with little ones who aren’t a good fit for more formal political gatherings. Your Cottage Minis group can meet in a living room, at the park, or just with a couple of girlfriends over coffee.

Getting Started

The first thing you will need to do is decide what kind of a Cottage Minis group you want to create. If you have toddlers at home, a playdate group may be the best option. However, if you’re looking for a little time away from the kids, meeting with your girlfriends over coffee while the kids are at school may be the best option for you. The day and time you meet, how often you meet, and the way you meet is completely up to you. As you meet you may decide a different day, time, or format will work better for your group. That is totally normal. It doesn’t mean you are failing, it means you and the ladies in your group are figuring out what works best for your own group for the best experience and greatest success.

How often do we meet?

Some Cottage Minis groups meet during on a weekday morning for an hour or two. Others meet on Saturday for coffee so the hubby can watch the kids. Some Cottage Minis groups meet weekly, some meet monthly. If you are enjoying it, it is the right day and amount of time. This is meant to be an enjoyable experience. If it becomes a hardship, that isn’t a sign you need to throw in the towel but simply that an adjustment needs made. Maybe you need to reconsider what time you meet or how often you meet. There is not right or wrong way in how often you meet as long as it works for you.

How many moms should I include in a group?

We recommend keeping your group small and manageable. 3 to 9 moms is an ideal number depending on the kind of group you choose. For instance, you are meeting as just moms taking time away from the kids, then 5 to 9 moms would be a great number. However, if you decide you want to do a playgroup format, you should consider the number of children each mom will be bringing to the meetings. If each mom only has one or two children under 5 years old, then 3 to 5 moms is a good number. How many children are involved and what ages the children are, should definitely be considered.

You will also want to consider the ages of the children. If you have one mom with a seven year-old and all the other children are two years and under that might not work for a play date. Of course where and how you meet would all factor in as well.

Where do we meet?

This, too is based on how you decide to form your group. If your goal is to have stimulating conversation with other moms without the kids, a coffeehouse may be a great place to meet. If you are doing a playgroup format a park is a good option in nice weather. Meeting at playgroup friendly locations, such as family fun centers or community centers are good option during colder weather. And of course your home is always a great option. You can even take turns meeting at each other’s houses to make it more fun for the kids.

How do I build my group?

You would be surprised how many moms there are in your own circle of influence who are looking for an opportunity to meet in a group like this. Just look around you at the moms you know in your church, neighborhood, community center, school activities and wherever you meet other moms. When building your group make sure to keep the kind of group you are forming in mind. If you are using a playgroup format you might want to find moms with kids around the same ages.

Another way to build your grow is through social media. You can post your group and see what kind of response you get. You may be surprised at how many moms like the idea. Social media is also a great way to communicate with the moms in your group. You can start an invite-only group page on Facebook. Texting and email are great ways to communicate as well.

Bottom line is, this is your group. You are starting it and devoting the time to lead it so it should first and foremost work for you and your schedule. If the group gets too big to manage you can always split the group and give one of the moms an opportunity to lead the other group. If more groups are created from yours you may decide to meet altogether once or twice a year for a night out just to enjoy the friendships you’ve created through your MomLink connections in your own community.

What do we do when we meet?

The best part about these meetings is what we do – talk. Because that’s something all moms like to do. This is an opportunity for us to share our thoughts and opinions about what we all read. You as the group leader can lead the discussion or you can have each mom take turns hosting and leading the group. You can use our discussion resources and articles or choose an article from current news/events that interest you. We have created a Cottage Minis Discussion Guide to help you plan and lead your discussions so your meetings are meaningful and inspire thoughtful conversation.