MKE Moms Blog :: It’s Launch Day!

Remember That 70s Show? The opening credits showed the cast of teenage characters rocking out in a car to a Cheap Trick song, all culminating on the final shot when the camera zooms in on the Wisconsin license plate and a voice yells, “Hello Wisconsin!” If you have that image in your head, hang on to it a moment longer while you read the next sentence….

Hello, Milwaukee!

Here we are on Launch Day for MKE Moms Blog and our entire team is so excited to welcome you all to this new online resource for the moms of the Milwaukee area. This is not a site driven by one person, but is rather a collaborative effort by a team of moms who live and work here and are dedicated to sharing their motherhood experiences with you and inviting you into a community of women who encourage one another, laugh with one another, embrace authenticity and create initiatives to love back on our city. The old saying that “it takes a village” applies not only to raising kids, but also to surviving motherhood!

Milwaukee is a vibrant, diverse city with such an incredible energy and personality. It is also a divided city, a city that struggles with barriers of race, socio-economic status, language, and more. We stand in one of the most segregated cities in the country where the headlines have been less-than-favorable as of late. The moms of this city are in desperate need of common ground, of community. We need a way to express ourselves authentically, to come together over what draws us together, rather than dividing ourselves over what is different.

The heart of MKE Moms Blog lies in being a resource for cultivating relationship and community and this Contributor Team exists at the core of those efforts.

A couple weeks ago, our Contributor Team gathered in the Third Ward for our Kickoff Event, the first time that many of us would be meeting one another face-to-face! Nerves were high and hearts were racing a bit as we met at Milwaukee Public Market for our team photo shoot with the lovely Amber of Olive You Photography. We came from all over the Milwaukee area and from all walks of life, but it was evident from the start that this team is going to do amazing things together!

It felt like we were already friends when we got together in real life! – Jess, Contributor

Milwaukee Public Market made the perfect backdrop for our team photos — an iconic Milwaukee landmark with such a cool, graphic character. Amber did a fabulous job of taking beautiful headshots of all our ladies and we are so thrilled with how our team photo turned out! If you are looking for a talented newborn and family photographer, you absolutely MUST check out Olive You Photography in New Berlin. Amber knows exactly how to put her clients at ease and make them look and feel fantastic!

After our photo shoot, we had to fight the temptation to pop inside Milwaukee Public Market for some frozen custard and we headed down Water Street and across the river to Screaming Tuna Sushi & Asian Bistro.

Cristian at Screaming Tuna went out of his way to make our ladies feel special. Cristian had arranged for platters of of crowd-pleasing appetizers for our team in one of their private dojos that was, in Cristian’s words, “meant to be photographed.” The whole restaurant had such a cool, swanky vibe. It was absolutely perfect for our team meeting that was turning out to feel more like a Girl’s Night Out!

As our team enjoyed their cocktails (or mocktails for our preggo-with-twins mama Heather!), we took a few minutes to hop out on the patio to take a few more photos along the river with the city skyline behind us.

When our team entered the dojo, they were thrilled to find swag bags to welcome them to the team! In true Milwaukee fashion, each team member received a mini bottle of Rumchata, courtesy of beverage distributor Lauren Haas.

Sugar Vine Creations made our ladies feel extra special by providing custom cookies complete with the MKE Moms Blog logo. How cute are they in those individually wrapped bags? Vikki at Sugar Vine was wonderful to work with and really went the extra mile to make sure that the cookies were perfectly fresh for our event. They were heat-sealed and even tied with coordinating ribbon to our logo! And these cookies were delicious! I didn’t even share any leftovers with my kids!  Vikki has an incredible talent and I am looking forward to talking to her about some Harry Potter cookies for my son’s upcoming birthday party.

Thank you so much to Olive You Photography, Screaming Tuna and Sugar Vine Creations for helping to make this evening an event to remember for our inaugural Contributor Team!

Between the sushi and the cookies, we left with full stomachs and full hearts, excited about the all the fun adventures that lay ahead for this group of women, and for all the moms of Milwaukee who will benefit from the resources on MKE Moms Blog. We can’t wait to get to know you better and to get to work at creating a community of Moms in this city that defies all barriers!

Of course, no launch would be complete without some Giveaways, so be sure to check back this afternoon for the first of many opportunities to win some amazing prizes donated by local businesses in celebration of the launch of MKE Moms Blog!

*Disclosure: MKE Moms Blog received complimentary and/or discounted product for this review. All opinions are the author’s own.

{Photo Credit :: Olive You Photography}