QC, THAT'S WHERE!
QC, THAT'S WHERE!
QC, That's Where We're Navigating Parenthood with 'Quad Cities Mom'
Join us as we delve into the unique world of Midwest parenting with Sierra Stuart and Alyssa Williams, of Quad Cities Mom. They share their journey of creating a digital space for parents, filled with practical tips, personal stories, and a directory of family resources. From toddler tantrums to family outings, we discuss the resources Quad Cities Mom offers to readers, and the community they've built to support and laugh together through the journey of parenthood. Sierra and Alyssa's commitment to supporting families shines through as we explore the chaotic yet rewarding experience of parenthood together. Whether you're dealing with nap schedules or teenage drama, this episode offers understanding and support for every parent out there.
Find more on their website: https://qcmoms.com/
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When moms are, you know, stressed to the max and they don't want to have to find. You know where can I watch fireworks this weekend or what parks should I go to that have these amenities. We wanted to put that all together into one spot so that way it makes a mom's life, or a family's life, so much easier, without them standing or sitting behind their computer for hours and not being able to be present with their families at home.
Intro:Where do you find a family of communities connected by the storied Mississippi River, where young explorers and dreamers, investors and entrepreneurs thrive? Where can you connect with real people living and creating in a place that's as genuine as it is quirky QC? That's where.
Host:Welcome to QC. That's where I'm, Katrina, your host, and I am so excited today to be talking to Sierra Stewart and Alyssa Williams with Quad Cities. Mom, Welcome you guys. How are you?
Guest:Good, thank you, Hi. Thank you. Thank you so much for having us.
Host:I'm so pumped to talk to you guys because I know that Quad Cities Mom has been around for a long time. It's made some changes, it's evolved, and I would love to have you both kind of talk about what you do with Quad Cities Mom and if you could kind of divulge on what it is as a digital marketing and ad agency.
Guest:Yeah, so Quad City Moms was founded in 2011. And a lot of people actually know it as the Quad City Moms blog, and so, with the business being around for so long, it has gone through quite a few different changes and has evolved and become more, but it's always maintained that main goal to support and encourage moms. So, from Quad City Moms blog to Quad City Moms, we are still here for those real deal moments of our families, and our goal is to always support and enlighten and chuckle alongside moms and families in our area.
Host:You mentioned chuckle and I have to like double down on that. But I agree, I was looking at I follow you guys on Facebook and I was looking at you know kind of some of the recent things and there's some really there's some super helpful blogs Like that is, I think, the meat and bones of the content. Like there's helpful stuff, there's camaraderie and then, as you're digging through, there's like that really relatable meme you know there's. There's the one about like when you're on a Zoom call and you're just looking at your own face or you know the way you ask for apple juice and then in a quick decision, I'll have a Bloody Mary instead. You know, just like moms flying by the seat of our pants like really relatable content. But also you can cater to that family dynamic of all ages and then just like people living and working and playing in the Quad Cities.
Guest (2):Yeah, that's something that I love that we do is that a lot of people toddlers get a lot of attention, but it's important that you know the older kids and the teens like they are still your kids and they do still need things to do, and so we also offer resources for not just the toddler era of your life, but also things to do with your teens and you know parenting perspectives on when your teen is starting to drive and what relatable content on you know moms that have already gone through that that that's super helpful too because, like I said, it's not your. Your kids grow up and it's not just about the toddlers.
Host:Yeah, awesome point. Um, I'm definitely in that toddler phase right now with a uh one, a one and a half year old and a three year old, so all of that toddler content is speaking directly to my soul. But then I, you know, kind of perusing the site, I see you know a mom's firsthand account of trying to tackle homeschool, you know, with her elementary school age kids. Or you know family friendly parks, a nice collective of places to explore, so yeah, that all that content is super widespread to help a variety of family dynamic. Um, how did you both personally get involved with Quad Cities, mom, and like what drew you to it?
Guest (2):I have followed on socials for a long time. You know I'm a mom in the Quad Cities and if you are, you have heard of us. If not, then go give us a follow. But it was a couple of years ago and there was an open call for contributors and when that happened I jumped on it and I have been a full force since then and it is. It's just so much fun. I love it so much.
Guest:And I think for me, the biggest thing is, as the owner, is making sure that we are providing a resource and, you know, that digital platform for moms of all ages. You know we have moms in their early 20s with maybe their first kid, and then we have moms who are helping their kids, you know, sending them off to college or they're getting married, and so I think it's really making sure that we do have that platform, and that was something that is so important to me is to make sure that when moms are stressed to the max and they don't wanna have to find where can I watch fireworks this weekend or what parks should I go to that have these amenities. We wanted to put that all together into one spot so that way, it makes a mom's life or a family's life so much easier, without them standing or sitting behind their computer for hours and not being able to be present with their families at home.
Host:That's a great point. That's a great point Like so visit quadcitiescom. Obviously we have priorities. Family friendly is a priority. You know, we we say we put family first. We're all in for families. So a lot of content around visit quadcitiescom can be catered to families, you know, with young children, young children or, you know, preteens, kind of that scope, but, you know, obviously kind of covering the entire community. We're trying to give something for everybody, every age moms, dads, not, you know, whatever your situation is. So it is really nice. It's a great benefit that you guys offer the community to have this more like catered content base for the motherhood journey, you know, or people who are, you know, in that kind of guardianship, or looking for family advice or camaraderie. So it is just so nice. And do you guys find that you have a popular piece of content that people come to you for or that they gravitate to?
Guest:So one of our biggest pieces and it's a seasonal piece and it's very like it's not timely for the current season but it's about the holiday train and so it's really interesting for the current season, but it's about the holiday train and so it's really. It's really interesting to see that one, but the other ones would be like our park guides um, our school summer camp.
Guest (2):Yeah yeah, we get a lot of questions about summer camps and that's our one of our most popular guides. Um, it's ranked number one in Google search for a few years. If you just type in Quad City Summer Camp, our website pops up and same with preschools. It's also been in the top search results for years.
Host:That's a huge question we get as well, and the writing that's on your site is that a collective of like volunteers.
Guest (2):How do you source all of that we do a lot of it when it comes to the resource guides and events, but we do have guest writers for the parenting perspectives, tips and tricks recommended readings, stuff like that.
Guest:So where are each of you in your motherhood journey? Yeah, so I am a mom and I have three kiddos, um, the our oldest is 15, and then we have a six-year-old and a four-year-old, um, and my 15 yearold is my stepson, and so I think that that kind of shined a different perspective on, you know, my parenting journey. And then you know, there's a little bit of gap in there too. So you know, just understanding that, you know sometimes we have different plans with one kid and then the others, and so the calendar portion on the website is really good for being able to find events that are happening, um, you know, for different ages of our kiddos.
Guest (2):Yeah, I also have an age gap. My oldest is seven and my daughter is one, so, um, it can get tricky on catering to their individual needs as far as um things to do. But, um, it is a lot of fun to see how the older brother can take care of his little sister and it's definitely it's a change. I mean she has completely made our family whole, like we have the boy and the girl. We get asked all the time, are you going to have any more? And it's like absolutely not Love them, but we're good that is so interesting that age gap.
Host:I grew up in a family with a pretty massive age gap. There's like almost eight years between me and my older sister and you know we found ways to do things as a family and, like you know, my older brother and sister found ways to include me, even though I was just a, a small tot for many years. Um, but it is kind of an interesting challenge to try and appeal to the interests of, you know, a, a four-year-old and an 11-year-old or whatever at the same time. So, like, do you have any tips or tricks or things that you found a way to like get around that challenge?
Guest (2):So, like Alyssa mentioned, we have our calendar on our site that we keep updated with events in the area, and so for me personally, I homeschool my son, so it's helpful when we go to the library and they have events for, like, older kids and I can kind of leave him in that area and then I just take my daughter to the library children's portion of it so she can play with the toys there. Yeah, read books and then we go back and pick them up. But then there's also, like in the summer months, it's getting warmer and splash pads are perfect for that. We have a list on our website of all the local splash pads too, so that's really helpful. A lot of people haven't heard of ones. They're also redoing quite a few here in the Quad Cities, so we're looking forward to that.
Host:So let's talk Quad Cities for a minute. So you know we're all in for family, family first, family friendly. I think so many people would agree that it's a great place to raise a family. It's the perfect sized community with, you know, kind of the bundle of cities all wrapped around the Mississippi River. There's outdoor stuff, there's creative stuff you know we say that we are the creative capital of the Midwest and we have, you know, arguments to back that up. There's museums, there's so much live, you know, live entertainment and family focused activities that you can get involved in. So what are maybe some of your favorite things to take your kids to? Or even, you know, like, get out of the house and just have like a, a solo mom day?
Guest (2):That's always needed and never enough time for that.
Host:Right, like I don't even have an answer for that Cause, I don't, I don't.
Guest (2):I'm like, um, I'm gonna go sit in my car, and that's honestly what I'm doing right now, because my husband came home early from work to watch the kids inside and I had to sit in my car to get some quiet. So, but for outside family fun, I think what's really cool is that the Quad Cities has a lot of outdoor skate parks, and I know that, like Crow Creek is that the Quad Cities has a lot of outdoor skate parks and I know that, like Crow Creek is probably a really known one, but there are some as far as, like Clinton and Eldridge. There's skate parks all over. They're a little bit for maybe, older kids, but I think that's fun that maybe a lot of people don't know about.
Guest (2):Um, there's really great trails here in the quad cities and that's another thing that we do with um. The age gap is that, uh, my son is learning how to ride his bike and then my daughter is on the back of my husband's bike and I'm usually way far behind or way ahead, because training wheels are a nightmare. Um, but, and there's also tons of free family activities in the area. Um, you know, like you mentioned, there's um summer concerts are coming up. Um, they actually start within the next couple of weeks, we'll have a guide to summer concerts in the area. There's outdoor movies that happen in the summer. There is the uh quad city arts has the sculptures and murals, and so that's always something fun that you can do with your kids as like a scavenger hunt type of thing.
Host:Um, and great instagram backdrops yeah, you're so right about the like photo opportunities on um, on our art trail. So, this quad cities, we have a product that we are, um, we're on year two of I want to say we're. So if you're listening to this podcast in the future, it is April of 2024. Um, so we are like feeling the springtime and people are starting to get back outside, which is really nice. So the inspiration for stuff to get outside and do is really coming in quickly and we're really excited to, um, you know, help people find things to do and support, um, our you know local businesses. In that way things are thriving again.
Host:So, as I was saying, um, the QC public art trail is something that we've worked on with Quad City Arts, that kind of just, you know, it's like that scavenger hunt kind of reward system you go in, you check, you get some like gratification, you can take a picture and just kind of like check the boxes off of all of these really amazing public art around the community that you know people may not even know it's just right in your backyard.
Host:Amazing public art around the community that you know people may not even know it's just right in your backyard, you know you'll see a sculpture on a bike path or you know a mural on a viaduct that you didn't know was there before. So it's really fun. So QC Public Art Trail is one way that you can enjoy that, and then also the collective that you guys have on your website and then for free, like activities. We also have the QC family pass, and when I say free, it's not all free, but there's like logo deals and there's like discounts at least. So for the frugal families we like to contribute in that way, and I know that you guys have done a great job of pinpointing what those like free or you know more like less impactful.
Guest (2):Budget friendly.
Host:Thank you, that is, budget friendly activities, because you know it's a lot, especially when you're, you know, raising a larger family, multiple kiddos, you want to make sure they're having experiences and enjoying themselves, but you're not like, okay, guys, we can only do one thing this month.
Guest (2):I know we got McDonald's yesterday and it was $30 for the four of us and I'm like this is not. This is like sit down dollars. It's crazy.
Host:We're all going to go in and we're going to play in the play place.
Guest (2):Yes, so for moms, um, what I can, what would be great, um is we have a list of brunch spots, um, and then also our guide to local coffee shops, um, which is huge for moms that survive on caffeine moms that survive on caffeine Too, true, yeah, um.
Host:Yes, I saw your brunch spot um list. So is that, was that like mother's day specific, or is that kind of just ongoing anytime throughout the year?
Guest (2):We have a one for mother's day specifically. It has um places to eat for mother's day brunch, as well as mother's day events happening in the next couple of weeks, um, but we do have a Sunday brunch list as well. That's year round Awesome.
Host:Yeah, finding that time is so important. I mean, even if it's like 20 minutes, you know, like up in your room or something to get just to pull away. Um, you know, I think that's one thing that, um, you know, moms and parents in general kind of neglect is, you know, you're taking care of everybody and you've you're you gotta be attentive to everybody's needs and it's like, you know, you have to kind of fill your own cup back up to be able to pour others Right. So you know, on your events calendar, um, on your website, there's there's family stuff. Um, is there also, like you know, like adult only events or gatherings or anything?
Guest (2):There are, so we try our best to keep it updated ourselves, but we do also ask businesses and people that if they have an event going on that they are more than welcome to submit that on our calendar at any time.
Host:That's awesome, that's so helpful. But yeah, so anything else about like Quad Cities, mom, that you know maybe people would be surprised to know about, or that you'd like to kind of get the word out about a little, Um, yeah, so we have our newsletter that comes out every Sunday night.
Guest (2):So if you miss, if you're on a social media break, um break and you still want content on your phone, we send out our weekly newsletter that has all of our recent articles and everything that we're posting on socials and that's available on our website. And we also do tons of giveaways. We have our Mother's Day gift basket giveaway coming up, and then in the next few months we'll have tons of other fun stuff that local businesses have donated for some giveaways. So we're really excited for that.
Host:That's awesome. Thank you guys for all that you do in the community. I know you're a great resource and we're very lucky to have it. How can people best follow you guys on on social? Obviously, signing up for that newsletter would be great, and then um your website.
Guest (2):Yep, so we're Quad Cities. Mom on Facebook and Instagram.
Host:And the site is qcmomcom. It's plural, it's QC moms, moms. Okay, I will, if you're listening to this podcast, go ahead and look in the description. I'll make sure that all of those handles and that website is linked so that you can find an easy click. So follow them. They are fun, they are helpful. Thank you guys so much for being on this podcast. I could talk mom and parenting stuff all day long, so I really appreciate your time. I know you all are very busy. I would love to have you now fill in the blank QC.
Guest (2):That's where you see, that's where we connect families with local businesses.
Host:I love it. Sierra Alyssa, thank you both, so, so much. We will make sure to link all of these socials and website and hope to see you guys around the QC.
Intro:Thanks for listening to QC. That's when a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities Text VISITQC to 38314 for insider events, activities and updates sent straight to your phone. That's V-I-S-I-T-Q-C, one word to 38314. Message and data rates may apply.