A weekly vlogging series addressing topics about mom life.

Talk about stepping outside of my comfort zone!

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Looking for fun things to do with your kids in DC?

Play Today DC is a local family friendly website that is all about connecting families with kids’ classes, events, and activities happening in and around DC. Along with a calendar of events, Play Today DC allows a parent to register for the activities right on the site. No more playing phone tag with the kiddie gym! Play Today DC is free for families to sign up and enjoy. (Now in Beta version in Northern Virginia, currently serving Falls Church, Great Falls, McLean, Oakton, Reston and Vienna.  Expanding to serve other cities in the DC-area soon.)

JOIN THEM AT THEIR LAUNCH EVENT:

On Saturday, February 4th, 2012 Play Today DC will host a free  “Find the Fun Fair” event at the Westwood Country Club in Vienna, VA from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.  There will be tons of great activities for families including a moon bounce, face painting, snacks, music, plus raffles and giveaways. (Plus and iPad giveaway! See below for details)

SWEEPSTAKES OPPORTUNITIES: 

Visit the Play Today DC Facebook fan page, become a fan and you are eligible to win an iPod Touch in their online sweepstakes! (Value $199). Print out the Play Today DC Facebook fan page, include your name, email address and phone number and bring it to the Find the Fun Fair on Feb. 4th  and be entered to win an iPad at the fair. Wow, right?  (Value $499). For more details, click here.

Disclosure: I received compensation in return for writing this post. That being said, I’m all about making lives easier. Who isn’t?

A new lifestyle retreat for working mothers is debuting in the DC Metro area this April. {re}Treat Yourself – a lifestyle redesign getaway for working mothers – is the brain child of a woman I admire greatly, Stacey Ferguson. (See her Working Mom Spotlight here)

The event was born out of Stacey’s own frustrations, “ I have always been frustrated at the lack of practical lifestyle resources available to parents, specifically moms juggling family and career. So many mothers I know, myself included, are struggling with keeping all of the balls they have to juggle in the air; it’s a major source of stress that is rarely addressed.  After searching high and low for an outlet like without success, I decided to create one.”

Gotta love a woman who gets out there and just makes it happen!

The {re}Treat Yourself  event in April is the first in a series of lifestyle redesign experiences she has planned.  This 2-day event is all-inclusive and will offer busy mothers workshops on topics like: fitness and relaxation; meal planning; developing support systems and nurturing relationships; defining personal style; home and office organization; creating an ideal family life; and much more.

Not to be forgotten, of course, {re}Treat Yourself will also offer attendees opportunities for pampering, downtime and a chance to tackle items off of their to-do lists, in addition to coming away with concrete takeaways to simplify and enrich their lives.

The event is slated for April 13^th and 14^th, 2012 at the AAA Four Diamond Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, VA. Registration is now open. For more information or to sign up, visit: http://Events.JusticeFergie.com

If you are a working woman who desperately needs time to relax and recharge, I urge you to give this weekend some consideration. I know the quality of Stacey’s events and I am certain she will once again knock this out of the park. It looks spectacular!

I’m feeling the need to address the elephant in the room. I want to talk a little bit about that thing we all wanted to get into but DIDN’T. That thing we are all mopey and stressed out about.

That thing we didn’t get an invitation to attend. (And by we I mean me, and maybe even you.)

Ouch. It stings.

Getting an invitation means that you are special. It means you are important. It means that you are SOMEBODY. And not getting an invitation… doesn’t. Or so we let ourselves think.

Here’s the thing to keep in mind… you ARE somebody. Just because you weren’t included this time, that doesn’t mean you don’t matter.

Deep inside you know exactly what I am talking about. You know that you are being overly sensitive and possibly irrational. You‘re feeling vulnerable and uncertain.

Trust me, I know.

Image via Glenda Otero

I felt the exact same way when the news rolled out across Twitter. I frantically checked my email and spam boxes. I stalked the hashtag. I started mental comparisons between myself and the bloggers who made it in. (It was slightly pathetic, I admit.)

Once it became clear to me that I did not warrant an invite, I went through a dramatic, albeit short-lived,  period of self-doubt and depression. “Why do I bother to blog, anyway? I’ll never be as talented or influental as them. I can’t believe I even thought I might have a chance. They probably don’t even know I exist. I should just call it a day and give up.”

Yes, friends. I actually considered giving it all up. As in shutting down my blog and never returning. 

And for what? For an invitation.

Sigh.

It is so hard in this blogosphere to keep everything in perspective.  My (and/or your) lack of an invitation wasn’t a rejection… there were simply not enough to go around. There are a ton of bloggers out there and only a finite amount of openings.

Someone is going to have to sit this round out.

And that someone is … us. Plain and simple, really.

Social comparison is a dangerous trap that many fall into online because it is so easy to do. The truth is, we all need to be extra guarded and vigilant when it comes to our self esteem or we will end up unfulfilled and unhappy.

Compairing yourself to others is nothing short of toxic.

I personally plan to give a mental high-five to all of the folks proclaiming their excitement over being included in this year’s festivities. I encourage others to do the same. They deserve to have a fantastic time! Who knows? Maybe next year we’ll be the ones who get a surprise in our own in-boxes… or not.

I am incredibly humbled and excited to announce that I have been selected as a 2012 Stiletto Woman in Business Award Finalist for Mom Entrepreneur of the Year, Social Media Influencer of the Year  and Blogger of the Year.

*Blink*

I know. Even typing that sentence is surreal.

Seeing my name listed among so many other incredible women, takes my breath away, to be sure. (You can view all of the finalists online here.)

In case you are unfamiliar, the SWIBA Awards (Stiletto Woman in Business Awards) are an initiative of Stiletto Woman Media which focuses on empowering women in business.

CEO Karlena Wallace had this to say, “The Stiletto Woman in Business Awards honors the monumental efforts of everyday women business owners, particularly those operating smaller entities that often go under the radar. These leaders redefine conventionalism and create their own success, all while changing lives.”

Wow.

Although I personally do not feel I deserve to be included in such a prestigious group, I do heartily applaud what this organization is all about.

Empowering, coaching and mentoring women is a passion of mine. (No matter what side of the fence I happen to be on at the time.)

My heartfelt appreciation (and shock) at becoming a finalist in the 2012 SWIBA Awards.