A year or so ago, I saw a sign announcing an event called "Tots & Tonics," a group of parents and their kids who got together for play dates and cocktails. But booze-and-baby groups aren't just in Brew City. Liquid playgroups continue to uncork all over the country, and even inspired the invention of the new, tongue-and-cheek word "momtini."

It's not surprising that parents are vastly divided on this one, and harbor opinions ranging from hooray to hell no.

"To me, parenting and drinking are mutually exclusive activities and should generally stay that way," says Holly Jefferson, the mother of three young daughters.

Some say the popularity of hooch-friendly playgroups is simply a backlash to the new millennium's uber-health obsession that launched millions of mainstream parents onto the hyper-organic bandwagon. Others say it's a throwback to the '50s, '60s and '70s, when parents didn't think twice about downing a drink or three in front of their wee ones.

But modern party playgroups usually include minimal alcohol consumption -- one or two drinks at best -- and are more about camaraderie than getting crocked. Plus, many of these moms say drinking in moderation in front of their kids models a healthy, responsible relationship with alcohol.

Anne Dawidziak, a Milwaukee mom to a 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter, attended a playgroup with alcohol.

"It was just a couple of girls getting together with their kids and we happened to have a couple of cocktails in the late afternoon. Nobody got drunk," she says. "We were all staying for dinner so nobody drove, either."

No doubt about it, parenting can get lonely, especially for those ladies who enjoyed a spirited social life before the baby bomb landed. And although selflessness is the first bullet point on the proverbial parents' job description, this question still arises: Are parents who take time and resources for themselves selfish or sane -- or both?

Bang me on the head with a bag of Weebles, but I don't think there's a right or wrong answer.

Personally, I was never one for moderation. In fact, I often said that the only thing I like in moderation is moderation. I usually prefer to dive headfirst and wholeheartedly into things, but these days, thanks to sleep deprivation, time-sucking schedules, and a love so consuming it sometimes devours pre-baby beliefs, I have less energy for headfirst and wholehearted. And somehow, this moderation thing makes more sense.

So, yes, I am pro-playgroup indulging -- drink up, mamma, because, for the love of disposable diapers, you deserve it -- but I might keep it light and save full-on inebriation for when the kiddies crash at Grammy's.

"It's something that I think is OK from time to time and I do think it's fine to drink in front of your children in moderation so they have an example of what an appropriate limit looks like," says Dawidziak.