Gen X Moms: Hip Mama

June 7, 2007--When you're a parent with young kids, it's easy to be totally consumed by parenting. But some metro moms have created an easier way to fit in a little more "me" time.

A group of local women call themselves the Hip Mamas. The West Des Moines-based social group formed online through the site meetup.com. Channel 13's Trisha Shepherd caught up with them at an outing last week at the Valley Junction farmer's market. The 40 members plan all kinds of outings, with and without their kids.

Organizer Jody Gifford has an 11-month old baby girl. She says, she feels like she's a better mother when she gets a chance to get out and have fun once in a while. "When you're a mother the first time especially you feel so committed to raising your child you absolutely forget where your priorities are for yourself, which is a good thing, but we all need that time to remember who we were before we became a mom," says Gifford.

Jody says they've capped off membership at 40 members so the Hip Mamas group doesn't get too big, but there's a new one that's just formed. She says parents should consider forming groups of their own on sites like meetup.com that cater to their specific interests and philosophies.