Meet Erin Underwood ChelseaBrooke Alhamwi of Little Cub Collective

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Underwood ChelseaBrooke Alhamwi.

Hi Erin Underwood, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hi! We’re Erin and ChelseaBrooke (CB), two local moms who have faced a challenge many young mothers experience: difficulty building community. While we’ve been friends since our time at Georgia State, many of our other friends from college have moved out of metro Atlanta or do not have kids. At each of our playdates, we found ourselves discussing how challenging it felt to meet other moms or establish connections during brief interactions out at parks. We found ourselves continuing to search for that all-important village, so we decided to build it for ourselves and other local moms. We wanted to build a space for moms to feel comfortable bringing their kids, whether they were cranky, happy, potty-trained, going through a sleep regression, or any of the challenges mothering young children brings up. We love the idea of crafting as it inspires creativity, engages all the senses, develops fine motor skills, and promotes teamwork between mothers and children. We’ve been fortunate to collaborate with other local businesses to host events at parks, indoor play places, and local kid-friendly coffee shops.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have definitely faced several challenges. First and foremost, we are in the thick of motherhood, with a total of 4 kids between us and one more on the way. All of our events have to be scheduled in the precious moments between nap schedules, potty training, doctors’ appointments, and maintaining some level of sanity for ourselves. Our very first event ended up being cancelled due to inclement weather, which was a huge disappointment after all the work we’d put into planning. We continue to find things at each event that we feel we can do better to make the process more seamless for the mothers and children who attend and are so appreciative of their patience as we work out the kinks!

We’ve been impressed with Little Cub Collective, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We’re a mom + little-kids club created for connection — both at the craft table and beyond it. It’s a space where you can sit down with your child, make something special together, and also meet other moms who just get it. What makes Little Cub Collective so special is that we are geared specifically towards moms. While we love and appreciate all kinds of caretakers in children’s lives, our goal is to connect with women in the same phase of motherhood as us. This helps us think through different scenarios and prepare for the needs of our community. Each event includes not only a craft and its associated supplies, but also snacks and drinks, aprons to help keep our little cubs clean, and set up/clean up of the activities. Aside from building community, one of our biggest goals is to make the events feel easy for moms to attend with their children, which means a lot of planning on the front end. We also try to find places that are near good coffee and food spots, as we’re both big fans of a good cup of coffee.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
While we try to put our best foot forward on social media and our marketing, at the end of the day we’re still your average moms. We show up at some events on just a few hours of sleep, we forget someone’s diaper, and our kids have the occasional meltdown while we’re having meetings/hosting events/etc. When we say we’re a judgment-free zone, we truly want moms to come as they are and know that there is love and acceptance waiting for them when they show up. We find ourselves on opposite sides of the coin in many aspects of motherhood, but we maintain a deep level of respect for each other and the knowledge that we’re doing what’s best for our families.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlecubatl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588364364246