Washington DC Mommy blogger

Friday Fun Day: Giving Away a Gift for some Moi-Time

January 4, 2013

You all know my new years resolution….and hopefully you are joining me on this journey….so what better way than to kick-off the new year with a great give-away. Last month, a new yoga studio opened in Bethesda called CorePower Yoga. As luck would have it, one of my closest friends, Vanessa Birch, also happens to be one of the fabulous instructors at this new studio – so how could I not spend some time there?

As someone who actually genuinely enjoys working out and is basically a horrible bitch if I don’t get my super early morning workout in, I must confess I was really nervous about trying hot yoga. I am a runner, a spin-hound….but yogi, I am not. In fact, not only did I partake in a yoga class about one time in the entire 2012 prior to December, I had never ever tried hot yoga before. I was terrified of it. Nothing like a friend to lure you into something new, right?

I’ve since learned there are various degrees of hot yoga and the classes at CorePower in Bethesda are absolutely not as hot as they come – each class varies and the class descriptions will let you know if it’s going to be about 99 degrees or 101 degrees. Let me tell you – now I understand that every degree counts. I’ve learned that Bikram is 104-105 degrees.

I was pretty much hooked immediately. I absolutely love the stretch in your muscles from being in the heat and the CorePower studio itself is ultra-inviting, with a fireplace in the lobby, beautiful wood floors and the instructors play excellent music. So far I’ve tried Vanessa’s 9am class on Saturdays and was sore within hours. The good kind of store. The testament to quality moi-time sore.

And I’ve become obsessed with the yoga-sculpt class, which is a powerful workout stretching your muscles and toning you everywhere you need to be toned with the use of hand weights while in yoga positions. Seriously — I am hooked. Obsessed. Love it. The first few times I took that class, I would hit this wall later in the afternoon of sheer exhaustion but again, the good kind of exhaustion. Now I seem to be through that phase but it’s another testament to a great workout, right?

The other great thing, CorePower offers its customers a free week to try it out and then a variety of different pricing options. The Bethesda location is right at the corner of Bradley Blvd and Wisconsin Ave, above the Staples, and parking is validated in the garage below the building, which is a nice perk as anyone who heads to Bethesda knows the parking is always a huge pain. It would kill my zen, let’s be honest. For those of you who don’t want to travel to Bethesda for a class, the good news is CorePower is opening a Georgetown location this spring!

Overall, I found the atmosphere to be very inviting, not at all intimidating for those like moi who aren’t die-hard yoga people, the pricing to be really reasonable and the workout to be outstanding. I’ve tried several different teachers and obviously my heart belongs to Vanessa but each one has been friendly, helpful and excellent with the music.

So about that give-away……give yourself the gift of moi-time and enter to win the free month of unlimited yoga at CorePower Bethesda I am giving away to one lucky reader! Just head on over to the WM Facebook page, make sure you’ve “liked” my page, and comment under the post about this give-away. It’s pretty simple and what a great gift to yourself! Maybe we could have some quality moi-time together at CorePower! I’ll have one of the Wired Momma’ette’s pick the lukcy winner’s name next Wednesday January 9, so hurry up and enter. Believe me – this is a fabulous give-away!!

Namaste.

Disclosure: CorePower reached out to me and offered me some complimentary classes…but I was already a guest of Vanessa’s, so I am passing this gift along to a reader. My opinions here are all my own.

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Give-Away

New Years Resolution #1: The One and Only

January 2, 2013

2012 was the year of Moi Loves Moi. We celebrated the fact that we are all perfectly imperfect. We threw guilt to the wind and we praised ourselves for all that we do right in the day instead of wallowing in all that we do wrong.

Or at least hopefully we tried.

C’est vrai.

So as we start another fresh year, I’ve given a lot of thought to 2013 and our theme. I was afforded the chance to really get out and meet with lots of different moms over the past year in a variety of settings and I noticed one common thread. One thing that we all shared whether we have 5 children or one child, whether we have just a baby or we have a teen, whether we work full-time or not – there is one scarce resource out there and that is our time.

We spend so much time fretting about whether or not we are giving our children enough of our time, fretting about managing work and home, managing kids activities, keeping the clothes clean and dinner on the table. We spend and spend and spend time but what we don’t do is give ourselves any of it. We are all guilty of this and that is a CHOICE we are making. It is not something that makes us martyrs, it is something we do to ourselves.

In December I found myself at a lovely holiday open house on a Saturday afternoon. I almost didn’t go. Wanna know why? I didn’t have TIME. I had SO MUCH TO DO. How could I justify ditching Mr WM and the kids and all my other long, really important, list of things to do, to go have a few sweet treats and some drinks with a bunch of ladies at 3pm on a Saturday? How DARE I?

But I went. Naturally I stayed longer than I thought I would and mid-way through, I realized something, I could feel myself decompressing, I could feel myself relaxing, I was enjoying myself so very much. Doing nothing but gossiping and eating and drinking on a Saturday afternoon. It was delightful. And I was maybe there 90 minutes.

While I was there, I was talking with a few friends and I started telling them how a few days before I did something radical. I was out alone and I sat down on a bench in Bethesda. By myself. And I just looked around for a few minutes, peacefully just enjoying the warm December afternoon and the peace that comes with being out without your children. I looked around at what OTHER PEOPLE do on a random Monday afternoon and remembered that other people do things for themselves. I just sat in the moment. It was a novelty and it was so refreshing. And so completely absurd that this was so foreign to me. Isn’t this why the streets of Paris are lined with cafes? So you sit there and just relax and enjoy your afternoon?

I mean really.

I asked my friends at this open house when the last time they did something similar, like just sitting down on a bench, and none of them could think of any examples. Not one could really even come up with any time they give themselves and then one of them said this: “It’s a disease people. It is a disease.”

Amen sister.

We all suffer from this disease and it is stupid. Where along the way did anyone say that motherhood meant you can’t have a moment? OR that you don’t deserve it? OR that your only moment should be crammed in at 2pm on a Saturday when the kids are napping and that is when you should run out like a crazy person and cram in a week’s worth of errands?

That’s not a moment people, that’s frantic.

A moment is sitting down by yourself on a park bench and just looking around.

A moment is going to a party on Saturday afternoon and staying too long.

A moment is taking a long walk when the children are up – WITHOUT THE CHILDREN.

And so this is my new years wish for myself and for you, it is what I hope we all will make our resolution – moi time. And catching yourself in the disease. The symptoms are as follows: thinking you don’t deserve time, only leaving the house alone when the children are napping, turning down invitations from friends for things like book club or meeting up at yoga because you “don’t have time” and hearing these words come out of your mouth: “I just don’t know how she has time for X (whatever it is: making photo albums, going to the gym, reading a book.”)

Allow me to be frank: It’s bullshit people. And it’s a disease we all inflict on ourselves.

Husbands don’t do this and they are smarter for it. And probably more relaxed. There’s no reason why everyone doesn’t deserve moi-time. Moi-time without justifications or explanations. Just do it.

Happy New Year! I hope that on December 31, 2013, we can all proudly reflect on how we gave ourselves the gift of moi-time and recharged throughout the year. We rid ourselves of this self-inflicted disease and enjoyed our rejuvenating moments. Don’t forget to give moi the gift of hitting “Like” on the Wired Momma Facebook page to keep up with the fun and some occasional reminders on the importance of moi-time.

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New Years Resolutions

Do you need a New Years Resolution when you’re already AWESOME?

December 31, 2012

This is my husband’s shirt but why don’t we all have one?

Happy New Year, friends. It’s hard to believe another year has passed, right? So, as I gear up to launch what 2013 will be in Wired-Momma-land, I thought we should look back at the theme for 2012. Did you live in the vein of Moi Loves Moi all year long? Did you channel your inner-fabulous-ness? Many of you are somewhat new here, so you might not be familiar with my ongoing Moi Loves Moi (MLM) theme. So please – I am re-posting my 2012 piece from last New Year’s Eve and hope you have a fabulous evening. Look for my New Years Resolution Guide & Theme for 2013 later this week.

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I hereby declare 2012 the year of I Am Awesome.

The year we praise our accomplishments and focus on what we do right every day, including our youthful glow and attractive figures, instead of all the areas we fall short. Forget the year of the Dog or Cat or whatever hell animal it is – it’s the year of I Am Awesome. In that vein, it would seem there is little need for a resolution, or two. But alas, with the little mini’s running around my home, even I can admit, despite my awesome-ness, there is some room for improvement. Note: I am not-so-subtly about to blame my short-comings on my children. It’s all part of the I AM Awesome campaign.

Resolution #1: Must I drive a Frat Party on Wheels?

Excluding the empty beer cans and condom wrappers, the interior of my vehicle basically looks like a frat party happened there, every night. Frankly, I think there must be a mouse family living inside because why wouldn’t there be? It’s warm, between the strewn kid artwork, the books, the food wrappers and crushed Goldfish and popcorn, it’s a veritable mouse haven. Ratatouille could likely whip up a true Francais-feast under one of my seats. Little Gus from Cinderella could find a cozy nest and hearty snacks to grow his family and tummy. Sometimes I do look for mice. In those rare moments of quiet inside my car, I’ve even been known to listen for them.

So can I do better? Yes. I hear there are people who don’t let their children snack in their cars. Who are you? Are you for real? Do you ever drive longer than 10 minutes with your children? Maybe I’ve trained my kids like dogs, they automatically associate riding in the car with snacks. So I might be to blame but it’s a vicious cycle I’m unwilling to break until they are older. So until then, I resolve to try to make the interior of my vehicle seem less like the Ritz for Rodents and more like something adult humans actually want to dare set foot in. If I am Awesome, perhaps my car’s interior should be a little more awesome….

Resolution #2: Control the Picasso Take-Over of all my Closets

One of the keys to being awesome is not being a hoarder. And the tale of my car interior and my closet interiors tell a different story than the awesomeness-tale I am weaving about myself in 2012. I blame the plethora of kid artwork for how closely I flirt with hoarding and the chaos inside my closets. I have trouble parting with their masterpieces. In an upcoming interview I will post on organization with a local stylist and home organization expert, she really made a strong case for disposing of kid artwork. I know she is right. But alas, I am just not strong enough to ditch all of it. And in the vein of brutal honesty, there’s no way in a cold day in hell I am ever going to be organized or motivated enough to make digital photo albums of their artwork. Part of being totally awesome is just being realistic and honest. So, lucky for moi, Santa brought me these kid portfolios, with their names on the front and note the size, big enough for those insanely awkward size pieces that tend to come home from pre-school, yet flat enough that I can store it under their beds. Ah ha! I am awesome because now I am going to empty out my closets and move the art collections to under my children’s beds. Thereby beginning their life as hoarders and mine as organized….

Resolution #3: Moi Loves MoiA final repetition of the 2012 I am Awesome theme. Less self-flagellation. Less self-doubt and wondering what went wrong in the day or if my 3-year-old is acting insane because I was too distracted with a work project. Newsflash – that’s what they do when they are 3. So if you need a dose of how to perfect yourself in the year of being Awesome and Moi Loves Moi, then read this awesome and hilarious interview with my hero, my idol, Miss Piggy. I don’t know about you, but I also love to blog and tweet, like Piggy, and I am totally re-naming my iPhone my MOI-Phone and uploading pictures of…what else…MOI all over it. Repeat after Moi: Moi loves Moi. I am Awesome. Happy New Year! For more doses of awesome-ness and Moi Loves Moi, make sure you “Like” the WM Facebook page. Otherwise you are missing out…..

No one does Moi loves Moi better than Piggy

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New Years Resolutions

Sandy Hook & Looking Forward

December 21, 2012

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Now that a week has passed since we all watched in sheer horror as the massacre unfolded at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, we’ve had some time to move through the stages of shock and grief. This entire time, one thing in particular kept gnawing at me and I just couldn’t put my finger on it, until now. What the unspeakable loss of these beautiful 20 first graders has reminded us is this: just how profoundly young children touch each one of us to the core. Not just parents and grandparents or aunts and uncles but strangers on the street, passers-by, neighbors; every single one of us.

We have been grieving because Sandy Hook forced us to spend time reflecting on what it actually means to be six-years-old. We all thought about how these kids are still babies with missing teeth, who fart in class and don’t fully appreciate that violates all social etiquette, they spell birthday “brithday”, they talk to the Elf on the Shelf every night because they really do believe he talks to Santa and finally this: six year olds, even those who have seen a hard life already, believe only the good in every single one of us. We’ve all spent a week crying and feeling rage and pure sadness because finally we have stopped and slowed down and paid attention to the beauty and importance of children. We’ve put down the phones and turned off the TVs and just sat in our grief and reflected.

And so, as we end this year and move into 2013, my single wish is that this true appreciation for children will stay with us and remain at the forefront of our culture. Too often lately we’ve become a country that begrudges children, that seeks “brat bans” in restaurants and looks in horror at a young mother boarding a flight alone with little kids. We don’t help her with her bags and we glare at her children because they do things that kids do and that annoy busy, important adults – like spill drinks, kick some seats and ask endless questions. Oh and they cry. We ignore pregnant women on the metro. Far too often, we look away and hope the kids won’t bother us instead of ushering forth our patience and looking at them, offering to help, or even just offering a smile. We talk about the “mommy wars” and worry about “having it all” when really, “it all” is right in front of us.

Sandy Hook happened to every single one of us and we are so devastated because without children – what do we have for the future? Far too often, we don’t take the time to focus and appreciate that reality.

Let us keep this reminder with us beyond the holiday season and once the initial shock of this loss passes. True, even us parents need the occasional reminder on the fleeting perfection of childhood.

In this moment, where we all remember that it does take a village to raise a child, we must preserve this feeling of love for children. By remembering, we will honor the lives of those precious first graders and their surviving families who will never, for one day, forget that children give every single one of us far more that we can ever give them.

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