MOMS GET HELPING HAND : LOCAL GROUPS CATER TO STAY-AT-HOME PARENTS.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Every year, Americans honor dear Mom on the second Sunday of May. But every day is Mother's Day for two Santa Clarita Valley organizations that bring women and kids together for fun and service.

Mothers Unlimited and MOMS Club chapters cater primarily to stay-at-home moms, creating a network and social outlet for women who otherwise would feel cut off from the community because of their decision to be full-time homemakers rather than members of the outside work force.

Both groups' activities include meetings, play groups for infants and toddlers, field trips for mothers and children, baby-sitting co-ops and even no-kids-allowed, monthly ``date nights'' for couples. Several times during the year, the groups also take on charitable endeavors to help low-income single mothers, domestic violence victims at a Santa Clarita Valley shelter, and to help stock the shelves at the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry.

Mothers Unlimited has more than 200 members across the Santa Clarita Valley who pay $40 to join and annual dues of $30 thereafter. Formed in 1992, the group targets women who set aside their career and the paycheck that comes with it to focus all their time and attention on motherhood.

Theresa Katz, 34, was a production associate in the television industry when she found herself thrust into the ranks of full-time motherhood.

``It was a big job, a lot of hours, and my daughter was in day care,'' Katz recalled. ``My career, I felt, was my importance in life. Then our company was sold and I lost my job.''

Katz discovered that her heart wasn't in job-hunting, so she opted for a major life change. Losing her paycheck forced the family to ``downsize'' their lifestyle to fit her husband's income.

``It was a real shock to our systems. It was a tremendous struggle,'' she said as her 8-month-old son and 4-1/2-year-old daughter cooed and giggled in the background.

When she left the work force, Katz said, she tried in vain to meet other mothers. Taking her daughter to the park in hopes of striking up conversations - and friendships - with other moms didn't work.

One day, stuck at home as she nursed her daughter through a case of the chickenpox, Katz spotted an advertisement for Mothers Unlimited. Now she knows dozens of women in the same stage of life who have set aside career for family.

``I think society has placed so much importance on stuff - you know, do you have a car phone? Do you have a fax machine?'' Katz said. ``I think there's a lot of pressure (to have) that second income.''

Such issues are standard topics of discussion when club members gather - how to live on a budget, how to respond to those who ask if they work or just stay home.

``There's a lot of stigma, still, for moms who are at home,'' Katz said. ``(Club activities) are a nice place for us to go to get support from other mothers . . . where their self-esteem can be restored (as) the main caretaker for a family.

``There's so much that has been written on, `You can be a mom and work, too, and it won't hurt the children.' I think society has talked us into believing that our kids will be fine if we go back to work.''

Membership in both clubs, however, is also open to working mothers.

Marie Lubold, 34, is a mother of three and co-president of the MOMS Club of North Valencia and Stevenson Ranch. The nationwide organization - founded in 1983 by a Simi Valley woman and currently numbering 260 chapters in 34 states - has local branches in Saugus, Valencia and Canyon Country, she said.

``Santa Clarita is full of moms,'' Lubold said, noting her chapter has 65 members and that the other branches are about the same size. Membership dues in the group - whose name stands for Moms Offering Moms Support - are $30 per year, she said.

``I think being a stay-at-home mom is a very rewarding, yet challenging, job,'' said Lubold, the mother of 13- and 3-year-old boys and a 1-year-old girl. ``Sometimes we feel isolated. It's just nice to know other moms who are in the same situation as we are.''

Club members cook a few days' worth of meals for families when there is a birth or death in the household. ``That's been really invaluable,'' Lubold said. ``I even was a recipient of that when my daughter was born.''

A monthly club activity is Culinary Delights, in which members sample and swap each other's favorite recipes. ``We're putting together our own cookbook,'' she said.

One of the group's best recruiting methods is its participation in the annual Independence Day parade in Santa Clarita. MOMS Club members, with their children in tow, wear matching T-shirts bearing their slogan, ``Behind Every Great Kid Is a Great Mom,'' and hand out fliers to interested spectators, Lubold said.

For information on Mothers Unlimited, call [phone]. For details about one of the MOMS Club chapters in the Santa Clarita Valley, call [phone].