It’s hard not to instantly like Chelsea Wickersham and Ambur Lenard, the besties doing their best to normalize what motherhood and womanhood look like without the filters and forced family moments. In other words, these two are all about the real and making a club for other cool moms, aka, all moms.
“When we started this, people were so unrelatable with how motherhood is and how perfect and glamorous it can be, and we’re just like, ‘oh, my God, it is not like that at all. It’s OK to show the bad sides of motherhood,’” Lenard says. “We really just wanted to get that message out there and just make everyone feel a little bit more comfortable saying yeah, it is really frustrating sometimes, and, yeah, you do want to go sit in a corner and cry sometimes and, yeah, it is OK to still have fun and party with your friends and still have a life.”
Adds Wickersham: “We totally wanted somewhere for moms to go to be able to just relate to (the content), get a good laugh in and just kind of have that unfiltered moment where it’s not so picture perfect.”
And it resonates.
Cool Moms Club, which started in November 2020, has a clothing line, has held a few events, is considering a podcast and toys with creating a signature wine, now boasts 60,000 “cool mom and cool dad” Instagram followers who come for a good laugh and dose of parenting reality.
The Washington Township area pair met in cosmetology school at 18, worked together ever since, married, live 10 minutes from each other and went through their pregnancies together. Lenard has Slater, 6, and Otto, 4, while Wickersham has Tommy, 6, Charlie, 4, and baby Savannah.
The hardest moments for you as a mom:
“For me, I feel like just juggling work and life and kids and husband and house and cleaning and appointments, and just all of it really,” says Wickersham.
Lenard agrees. “You’re kind of everyone’s personal assistant … and yourself, you come last.”
What works for you for the juggle?
Wickersham says a routine and schedule really works, which includes setting aside time and getting a sitter just to give herself a few hours to decompress. “If you want to sit on the couch, if you want to go get your nails done or go shopping, I think it’s important to just get your mind back. So I think that’s definitely a big thing for us, that we feel like we’re better moms when we can have a little bit of an outlet, too.”
Lenard also relies heavily on calendars, lists and meal plans.
The importance of best friends in motherhood?
Says Lenard, “Oh, my God, I feel like it’s a life changer. Honestly. I feel like anytime I feel a little bit negative towards my kids or I’m going through a rough day with them, I can easily just text (Wickersham), and she’s like, ‘oh, my God, I’m going through the same thing.’ Like, whatever it is, it’ll be different tomorrow.”
They know finding friends can be hard, especially for moms. That’s why they view Cool Moms Club as “a big old friend group for every mom out there.”
They also know they’re lucky. “We have heard that a lot, too, like, ‘oh, I wish, I had a friendship like you guys have,’” Lenard says.
What did you have to learn the hard way?
Wickersham: “Not taking things too serious with milestones and stuff for kids or phases that they go through. Just not freaking out about every little thing and just kind of letting it go. I think when I had my first, I was very like, oh, my God, he’s not doing this and he’s supposed to be doing it at this time. I feel like I would freak out by every little thing. And now I’m at the point with Savannah, I feel like I’m very much more like, oh, she’ll do that on her own time.”
Lenard says her biggest challenge was breastfeeding. “With my first, I was trying so hard to breastfeed because everyone would say, like, oh, breast is best, and you have to breastfeed for them to be healthy. There’s so much pressure. And I ended up getting postpartum because I was trying so hard and it just wasn’t working.”
Then her doctor reminded her, fed is best. “I think when you do it the first time around, you’re very hard on yourself, and you got to learn to not be.”
Fast Talk
Your to-go coffee order?
Both: Starbucks grande shaken espresso with one Splenda and a splash of almond milk.
The most used app on your phone?
Both: Instagram.
Your personal tagline:
Ambur: “You only live once.”
Chelsea: “Who gives a f- – -?”
Your favorite place to eat with the kids?
Chelsea: “We like to go to Buddy’s Pizza (Hall Road and Hayes in Shelby Township.)
Ambur: “I often go to Art & Jakes with my family. They have a few locations too, but we always go to the one in Washington.”
Three places in metro Detroit to be a cool mom?
Both:
- Bar Verona, Washington
- Testa Barra Kitchen and Cocktails, Macomb.
- Blake’s Orchard and Cider Mill, Armada
Your secret obsession?
Ambur: “I really like Harry Potter.”
Chelsea: “Probably cleaning. I think it’s not even cleaning. It’s just having a clean house. That is my secret obsession. I love to have a cozy home.”
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