Mothers around the world rejoice! 

Have I got a find for you…

#mom (hashtagmom) is a service that automates calling or texting your mother when you arrive at a location using Foursquare and the #mom hashtag. That means anytime mom is worried whether or not you arrived safely, you can let her know immediately.

I have to tell you, even my own mother loves this! (And she recently boycotted the Internet to the point of cancelling her email account.)  To sign up,  go here, enter your mother’s cel number, select your preference of  a text or call, and connect it to your Foursquare account.

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

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!

Well, it is ABOUT TIME.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will get a reality check this year when an entirely new show debuts. Five women have come together to create the week’s first ever mom-centric fashion show.

The project is called Strut – The Fashionable Mom Show and it will feature both real and celebrity moms rocking the catwalk.

Can I get an AMEN?!

I have long bemoaned the fact that these shows don’t center on real, practical fashion for moms. I normally find myself chuckling rather than coveting what the models are wearing.

I anticipate that is about to change, though.

The brilliant minds behind the project are:

• Audrey McClelland and Vera Sweeney of Getting Gorgeous
• Denise Albert and Melissa Gerstein of The Moms
• Holly Pavlika, the managing director of  Big Fuel, and founder of Momentum

Strut – The Fashionable Mom Show will take place on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at the Lincoln Center.  Preview below…

Fashionable Moms from Big Fuel on Vimeo.

Thanks ladies! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Abraham Lincoln once said that “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Time and time again I work with individuals and businesses who mean well but have no clear goals or strategy.

Setting goals is more than just making vague resolution-y statements like “I will increase my business” or “I will lose weight.” It means creating a well thought out written plan that includes objectives and measurable results.

In short, you need to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. (Just love the S.M.A.R.T. anacronym, don’t you? I’m a nerd like that.)

THE FORMULA:

SPECIFIC: Your goals must be specific. Forgo generalities and instead delve into detail.

MEASUREABLE: Goals that are achieved are the ones that can be measured and tracked.

ATTAINABLE: A goal needs to stretch your business slightly. Challenge yourself but don’t make it impossible to achieve.

REALISTIC: Be practical. This means that the skills or resources needed to do the work are available and that it project fits within the overall strategy and goals of the your life or organization.

TIMELY: Goal setting without beginning or ending dates never get accomplished. Be sure you have a deadline. Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to start taking immediate action. (Trust me on this one, I have been guilty of this many times!)

Some examples of S.M.A.R.T. goals:

• Increase customer satisfaction by 20% by October 2012.
• Increase visitor traffic on my site by 10% in the next 90 days.

The challenge: Take a moment to compose two SMART goals that you’d like to achieve in 2012. Then write down what you will do in next three months, six months and nine months to in order to achieve them.