In The News

Chester County Moms.com was featured in the Daily Local News

By JESSICA RUPELL, Staff Writer
08/05/2008
Beyond the magazine articles, books filled with advice and Dr. Phil episodes featuring ways to create a better family environment, new moms of Chester County will now have another resource. ChesterCountyMoms.com is a new blog site, featuring a Chester County community calendar, coupons and deals, events, nutrition, heath and safety tips, places to visit and reviews. The Web site aims to be a "one-stop mommy resource," said Sarah Freymoyer of East Caln, the principal writer for the new regional blog.After looking at different calendars from several playgroups and then looking at Chester County calendars as well, Freymoyer said she decided to make things easier for local moms by putting everything together on one Web site."Five minutes of looking at our site will get you more information than if you spent five hours surfing the Web on your own," Freymoyer said. "Plus, a lot of moms don't have time to look through a lot of kid-related publications, but with our blog it takes just a few minutes to see what's going on in Chester County."A stay-at-home mother of two, Freymoyer explained that she began blogging last August after her now-11-month-old son, Jude, was born."I wanted to let my family and friends know what was going on and show them pictures and a blog was much easier than sending e-mails with attachments," Freymoyer said. Since then, Freymoyer began to blog more frequently, finding the blogging to be a form of "cheap therapeutic therapy."So when she saw the curiosity of mothers in the Chester County Playgroup in learning to blog, Freymoyer decided to start holding small classes to teach these women the basics of blogging."They read my blog, which at first was just me venting, remembering who I was and why I liked myself, and they were like, 'Wow, I wanna do this'" Freymoyer said. Soon after, Freymoyer's small classes took off as she taught users how to get started, what and what not to talk about, and tips and tricks to make the blogging experience better.Jenn Hornickle of West Goshen, a blogger for Chester County Moms and a stay-at-home mother of two, said taking Freymoyer's classes has showed her how blogging can be a stress reliever."It's not just talking pre-school language but bringing the mommy aspect to life," Hornickle said. Hornickle, who has only been blogging since mid-June, has since become very enthusiastic about keeping up with her personal blog and contributing to the Chester County Moms blog, saying she sometimes "blogs five times a day" and is becoming HTML proficient. Margie Gunn of West Whiteland, the third blogger for Chester County Moms and a stay-at-home mother of two, is also an avid blogger in addition to being the manager of the Chester County Moxie Moms and owning a small, "home-based craft company" called Chesapeake Ribbons that offers hair accessories and belts."I had a friend tell me one time that she read my blog when she was feeling down and then read another blog until she felt better," Gunn said. "For all moms it's nice to know that you're not the only one having problems or frustrations."With all three mothers knowing each other and having a good knowledge of what Chester County has to offer, the site is a combination of information on many topics, including reviews of products and places.Hornickle said blogging is even changing the world of advertising, with bloggers reviewing products and either helping to sell or deterring buyers from purchasing specific products."I don't trust the big companies anymore," Hornickle said. "But I can trust real moms who are saying these things (about products). It's a local voice and even if you don't know them, you start to see them as a person."Though still very new to the Web world, the Chester County Moms blog has already gained the support of many local mothers and families, as well as national sponsors ClassyMommy.com, started by Freymoyer's friend Colleen Padilla, and Cookie Magazine, of which Freymoyer will be soon be a contributor. Freymoyer said these sponsors, as well as the word of mouth, have helped them to publicize the site even before its official launch. The blog site, hosted by Blogger, a blogging system run through Google, has received more than 1,000 unique hits since its unofficial launch.Freymoyer believes Chester County Moms is different than other sites out there because it not only brings everything together on one site, but it stays local."We want to stay regional because it's where we are," Freymoyer said. "We all have small kids and we know Chester County."The site, which will celebrate its official launch at a party on Aug. 7 at Plain Jane Boutique in West Chester during the Swingin' Thursday community night, is hoping to get even more publicity simply by "word of mom." The launch will feature giveaways, swag bags filled with goodies donated by local businesses, a visit by Fox 29's Jennaphr Frederick and information about the site being given out. "I am incredibly passionate about the site," Freymoyer said. "We just want it to be user friendly and community friendly."More information is available at chestercountymoms.com.