Mothers of Multiples Host Clothing Sale, Help a Fellow Mom in Need

Julie Boyle knows firsthand that buying everything in pairs is not only pricey, but daunting.

"That's why our group formed this; to help out in regards to the amount of stuff that comes with twins, triplets or other multiples," said the Monee mother of fraternal twins — who's also a twin herself. "It's just a way to … ease the pain of it all."

The Clusters Moms of Multiples Club is at , where members said they'll be selling kid-related merchandise in a very organized way. Items are carefully inventoried and arranged throughout the hallways of school. Boyle, the chairwoman for the event, equates the atmosphere to a department store.

"It's better than a garage sale because there's no haggling of prices or anything like that," she said. "Everything is organized by type, kind, size, and everything else you can think of right down to the last detail."

Clusters is a nonprofit club formed to support and assist mothers of twins, triplets, and more by meeting to share information, advice and mutual concerns, coordinators said. The group supports moms of multiples from Southwest Chicago and the Southwest suburbs and is an affiliate of the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs and Illinois Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs.

"We support anyone from a mom who's pregnant up to moms who have kids that are in their teens," said Tricia Worthan, the club's president and a mother of fraternal twins. "We can bounce ideas off each other and learn about new things. It's nice to meet each other, hang out and connect not only on a moms' level, but a personal level."

The most recent clothing sale organized by the club was held in March. It drew 926 people from communities all over the Southland.

The cost to enter Saturday's sale is $2 and revenue is split two ways — 15 percent goes back to the club while the rest goes to the seller. The entry fee is donated to a booster club through the high school and a separate raffle will generate money to support the Glodowskis, an Oak Forest family of triplets and a 7-year-old.

"At first, I was a little nervous to put myself out there like this," said mother Danielle Glodowski. "But between the triplets … and our insurance not being quite up to par … we just need some sort of reprieve if we can get it."

One of Glodowski's nearly 11-month-old triplets, Kaitlyn, was diagnosed several months ago with metopic craniosynostosis, a disorder where the underdeveloped plates in a baby's skull fuse together prematurely.

"From the top of the head, it kind of looks like a Hershy kiss," Danielle Glodowski said. "The back side of the head is kind of flattened and the front peeks up. … For brain development, it means that she wouldn't have room in the front of her head for her brain to grow."

Kaitlyn had a "headband cut" surgery from ear to ear four months ago, her mother said, and now has plates and screws in her skull that are helping to rebuild its bone structure. Though Danielle hopes they nipped the disorder in the bud, it's still not clear whether Kaitlyn will have longterm effects, she said.

"It's amazing what they can do," she said. "She's growing well and developing well. There's definitely nothing negative that I can see. She's mobile and she screams and she cries. … Now, we're just trying to get by."

Saturday's sale will feature between 80 and 90 sellers, coordinators said. They accept cash and checks only and the school's doors open at 9 a.m. For more information, visit the Clusters Mothers of Multiples website