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Feb 8th, 9:10 PM Email blogpost@themommiesnetwork.org if you're interested in being a guest blogger! See other posts at http://themommiesnetwork.blogspot.com Feb 5th, 12:54 PM ClevelandMommies.com launched today through The Mommies Network! It is a FREE group for moms in the Cleveland, OH area! Spread the word =) Feb 5th, 12:52 PM The Mommies Network launched SacramentoMommies.com today -a FREE support group for moms in the Sacramento, CA area. Help us spread the word! Feb 5th, 12:50 PM PhiladelphiaMommies.com opened today, serving the Philadelphia, PA area! It is a FREE support group for moms through The Mommies Network! Feb 5th, 12:49 PM The Mommies Network launched OrlandoAreaMommies.com today, a FREE community for moms in the Orlando area of Florida. Spread the word! FredericksburgMommies Blog
February...the month of holidays??? When most of us think of the "holiday season" we think of the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But if you stop and look at the month of February, it really could be the "holiday" season...why? Well, let's take a look at it.
We start with Groundhog's Day on February 2nd. Growing up this was a big one for me, especially when I was in college, because I was only a few hours away from where this whole thing went down. Every year we'd turn the TV on right away in the morning and watch the live news broadcast from Gobblers Knob (the home of Punxsutawney Phil) to see if the groundhog (Punxsutawney Phil, of course) would see his shadow. If he did, we had 6 more weeks of winter to look forward to...if he didn't, then spring was "right around the corner". As you get older, you realize that for Western PA this really is meaningless because you could almost always bet on a snow storm in late March/early April. Also, with the hundreds of news lights, cameras and general lighting for the public, how could he NOT see a shadow?!? I mean, seriously!!!
Anyway, moving on. Next we have the birthday of President Lincoln. He's known in history for being the president that brought our country out of a Civil War, for ending slavery, having a long gotee and wearing a tall top hat. His Gettysburg Address is something we all learn in school...but unfortunately forget with time. However, a statement from his second inaugural speech is something we should always remember, especially in our world today: "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds.... "
Then we have the big holiday of the month, Valentine's Day. The history of Valentine's Day is somewhat of a mystery, and has at least 3 different legends that explain who St. Valentine was and how the recognition this person started. Most of us know it as the "love" holiday, filled with cards, chocolates...and for those who are single, depression! An estimated 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are sent each year, with 85% of them being sent by women. Do you think the men in our lives need a hint about this, ladies??? :)
Then, on the 3rd Monday of the month we have "Washington's Birthday"...or "President's Day". Washington's Birthday (as in President Washington) is actually Feb. 22. But in 1968, Congress passed the Monday Holiday Act. This act moved certain federal holidays from fixed dates to the Monday following those dates in order to create more three-day weekends. Under the Monday Holiday Act, the official observance of Washington's Birthday was moved to the third Monday of February. Washington's Birthday has become Presidents Day in some states...others still observe Washington's and Lincoln's Birthday as two different days...others actually celebrate only Presidents Day as recognition for both of them. Yeah...it's confusing. But, it's at least another 3 day weekend for Federal Employees!
So. Considering February is the shortest month of the year, it's jam-packed with holidays. Now, I'm pretty sure it'll never be considered a "holiday season" by anyone (including myself!), but at least you're a little smarter about the special events of the month. :)
Every day, I get up at 7:30, get the kids ready and fed, figure out an activity for them to do that doesn't involve screaming, end up referee (due to screaming) anyway, clean the kitchen, do a load of laundry, change diapers galore, fix lunch, YEARN for naptime when I can do MORE chores (uninterupted), plan dinner, get Rhianna off the bus, BIG time referee issues then, make dinner, clean up after dinner, help get the kids to bed after the screaming conflict of "clean up your toys!!!", watch a show with my husband (while keeping the laundry going) and then dive right back into the chores once he goes to bed. Once I am in too much pain to continue, I take my meds, get online and enjoy the quiet, taking many breaks to fold and hang laundry, while I wait for relief and then I dive right back into the chores until I colapse between 2-3am and start all over again the next day. Most days, I can't do more than check my email for 10-15 minutes a couple of times a day.
I am EXHAUSTED and stressed out! Is it any wonder I can't get to the gym? I MISS the days when I had only 1 kid! OMG the stuff I used to get done! I used to READ BOOKS! I LOVE reading!!!!!!! I feel like I am on a treadmill that never ends and I can't get off but I am going NOWHERE!!!!!!
Add to this that last night my husband informed me that, while he hates to appear sexist (a absolute sign you should NOT SPEAK after uttering that statement!) he thinks that I should clean the house if I want it clean and that he shouldn't be expected to do ANY chores after working and having a commute. Seriously??????? Today, I informed him that MY job is to keep the children alive every day and his job is to make money and the rest of it we should SHARE!!!!!!
On top of all of that, I have friends that have NO kids that give me unsolicited advice about all the things I should be/could be doing to make this situation easier! SERIOUSLY???? Come live MY life-I DARE YA!
Ok, I'm done. Thanks for reading I appreciate you guys being an "ear" for me. There's really nothing to be "done" in this situation, it's just the way life is when you have small children so close in age. This, too, shall pass!
Yay for FM!! FM's First Charity Basket Bingo was a pretty big success! We had plenty of food, yummy baked goods (all of which were donated by our members!), and FANTASTIC prizes! Attendance was a little low, but those who came had a great time. At the end of the night, FM is going to be able to donate over $300 to Birthright of Fredericksburg. AWESOME JOB!! A big thanks to all who helped out or participated in this event. We're already planning for next year's Bingo and hope it's an even bigger success! :)
With the holidays coming up FAST (can you believe Thanksgiving is next week?!?!), we're in planning stages for our annual Holiday Party, and for participating again in this year's Spotsylvania County Holiday Parade. Two great events for our members, their little ones and their families to get out and enjoy this holiday season! Be sure to check out the Calendar to RSVP, and the Events & Happenings forum for all the details!
And in the spirit of the holidays, please don't forget about the TMN Fundraisers going on right now. Our parent organization is the reason our site exists (and is FREE for all of us), and without funding they can't provide us with this amazing network of mommies and support that we have. Take a moment and "buy TMN a latte" to show them how much you appreciate what they do for us! Check out the announcement and "sticky" in the Mommy Forum for details on what exactly the fundraiser is for, and how you can give.
Have a great weekend, everyone! AND HAPPY FRIDAY!! :)
Are you ready for some B-I-N-G-O?????? Come join us for a fun night of Bingo, good food and FANTASTIC prizes!! FM will be having a Charity Basket Bingo event at the Stafford American Legion on Saturday, November 14th at 6:00 pm [doors open at 5pm]. Its $20 to get in, which includes a pack of bingo cards; additional cards can be purchased for $5. All the proceeds of the night will be split between us and Birthright, a non-profit that helps moms with unplanned pregnancies.
We hope to see you there! Please PM Megan [MeganB], Kim [cts_mommy], Krissy [SynchroMWC] or Stephanie [stephannmoore] with any questions or if you're interested in volunteering the night of! We need moms to help run the food, bake sale, front table and other things!
Here is the list of prizes, starting with the 'grand prizes'! *please note not all baskets are complete and are missing values!
Packages/Baskets good to go:
1. Powell Woulfe Photography Basket: This is a fantastic package from a fantastic photographer! You will have a 1-2 hour family portrait setting at your choice of location and receive a 16x20 Gallery Wrap canvas art print, a Family Portrait package - unlimited poses, 2-8x10 prints, 2-5x7 prints and 16 wallets, and free online, password protected gallery for friends and family to view. [Basket courtesy of Powell Woulfe Photography; est value $360]
2. lia sophia Jewelry Basket: Who doesn?t love fantastic jewelry? This basket includes a Tiffany-inspired 18? necklace, as well as five beautiful pieces of jewelry. [Basket courtesy of Megan Benedict; est. value $300]
3. Guy?s Afternoon Out Basket: What more could a guy want then an afternoon outdoors with his buddies? This basket includes 4 rounds of golf from Lee's Hill Golf Course and dinner for 4 at any Chipotle, including chips and salsa and drinks. [Basket courtesy of Lee?s Hill Golf Course and Chipotle; est value $280]
4. Birthday Bonanza Basket: This prize has everything you need for your child?s next birthday, including the party and presents! Included are: a free birthday party and 4 free admissions to the Playroom, two free memberships to American Indoor Karting, a $25.00 gift certificate to The Rocking Horse Gallery, a $10.00 gift cert from Jabberwocky, 6 free hours to Wiggle Worms, and art supplies for your budding artist! [Basket courtesy of the Playroom, American Indoor Karting, The Rocking Horse Gallery, Jabberwocky and Wiggle Worms; est value $275]
5. A New, Radiant You Basket: Mary Kay makes women look beautiful every day and this fantastic beauty regimen will help turn back the hands of time! This TimeWise Miracle Set, for normal to dry skin, includes a 3-in-1 Cleanser, Age-Fighting Moisturizer, Day Solution with SPF 25, and Night Solution, as well as TimeWise Age-Fighting Eye Cream and a TimeWise Microdermabrasion Set. [Basket courtesy of Christina Roll; est value $180]
6. Style on the Go Basket: This basket will have you traveling in style wherever you go! It includes a 2pc set of stylish Kathy Van Zeeland luggage, as well as a beautiful Vera Bradley purse. [Basket courtesy of Damiano Marketing, Inc and Time in Place; est value $185]
7. Car Care Basket: The winter is no time to be without a running car and this basket will help keep your car well-maintained with 4 free oil changes from Meineke Care Car and a book of 7 coyote washes from Sante Fe Car Wash. [Basket courtesy of Meineke on 610, Sante Fe Car Wash; est value $125]
8. Mastering You Photography Package: ?Let Us Write Your Story? ? that?s exactly what they?ll do with this great photography package! Package includes a free sitting fee, 1 8 x10, 2 5x7s, and 12 wallets. [Basket courtesy of Mastering You, LLC; est value $125]
9. Holiday Baking Basket: Now you have everything you need to bake for the holidays with fantastic products from Pampered Chef ? including a batter bowl, Mix 'N Scraper, small scoop, measure all-2 cup, madagascar vanilla, Korinthe Cinnamon and a large whisk. It also includes a $25.00 gift card to Giant and flour, cream of tartar, sugar, baking soda/powder and Nicole's recipe for Snickerdoodles, to get you started on holiday baking! [Basket courtesy of Nicole DeGeorge and Giant Grocery Store on Rt. 610; est value $125]
10. Get Fit Package: Here?s two great ways to get fit this winter ? a one month membership to Sport and Health Gym and a free month of lesions at Master Lee Martial Arts Studio and a free uniform! This package also includes a water bottle and pedometer. [Basket courtesy of Master Lee Martial Arts Studio and Sport and Health Gym]
11. Tan and Tone Basket: Stay fit and look your best with this fantastic basket! It includes a one month membership to Sport and Health Gym, as well as 100 free minutes at Total Tan. [Basket courtesy of Sport and Health Gym and Total Tan]
12. Gifts from Caroline Street Basket: This basket is packed with GREAT gifts from stores on Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg. It includes a vintage inspired necklace from Simpatico, a gift certificate for a framed family history from Irish Eyes, and a cute gift bag from Monkee?s which includes a t-shirt, bumper sticker, tumblers, drink umbrellas and a $20 gift card. [Basket courtesy of Simpatico, Irish Eyes and Monkee?s; est value $100]
13. Hair Care Basket: Winter is the time to take care of your hair and we?ve made it easy! Start with a $45 gift card to Bella Hair and then keep up the pampering at home with Lanza Shampoo and Conditioner, Bed Head 4 pack Eye Shadow and a Spornette Brush. [Basket courtesy of Bella Hair and Winning Image; est value $95]
14. Family Game Night Package: What better way to spend time with the family then a fun night of bowling and dinner out? This family night out includes 2 free games of bowling for up to 6 people at Liberty Lanes in Stafford, Large popcorn, two pitchers of drinks, as well as a $20 gift card to Paddy?s Steakhouse and Pub. [Basket courtesy of Liberty Lanes in Stafford and Paddy?s Steakhouse and Pub in Stafford; est value $85]
15. Bowl-A-Rama Basket: A bowlers perfect strike! This basket includes 10 free games of bowling from AMF in Fredericksburg and a $25 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings.
16. Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Basket: Can?t resist sweets? Now there?s no need to! This basket includes a custom cookie basket, a $25 gift card to the Melting Pot and a Dove chocolate gingerbread mix.
17. Lights, Camera, Action! Movie Basket: This package has everything you need for a movie night at home with the family AND a date night at the movies! Movie night in starts with candy, popcorn, a popcorn basket, 4 root beers and a DVD of Stuart Little. Then it?s date night with two free movie tickets to any Regal Entertainment Group movie theater. [Basket courtesy of Mk Macgregor Designs and Wiggle Worms; est value $75]
18. Scrapper?s Delight Basket: This basket of Close to My Heart products will delight any scrapbooker. It includes an album, scrapbooking kit with paper, stickers and embellishments. [Basket courtesy of Faith Hilsinger; est value $75]
19. Decorate with Uppercase Living Basket: The holidays are a great time to decorate your house and Uppercase Living makes that easy! This basket includes custom vinyl expressions ?Live Laugh Love? and ?Welcome? and 4 small vinyl expressions ?Laugh?, ?Wish?, ?Friends?, and ?Smile?, also included is applicator and application spray as well as a $50 gift certificate and catalog to go shopping with! [Basket courtesy of Julie Williamson; est. value $100]
20. The Beauty of Scentsy Basket: Scentsy products are a beautiful way to bring beautiful scents to your home and car! This basket includes a plug in warmer, full size warmer, 3 scentsy bars and 3 car scentsy. [Basket courtesy of Julie Knight; est value $65]
Help TMN - Participate in this month's Fundraiser!! November is a month for giving thanks. At TheMommiesNetwork, we have so much to be thankful for. We have over 100 network sites, and nearly 31,000 members in 29 states. And we are growing every day! We have a brand new server that has allowed us to deliver better performance to our existing network sites, and has allowed us to resume opening new sites.
TheMommiesNetwork is hitting the bigtime in a major way. And we have you to thank for it. Our members, our moderators and managers, our Site Administrators, and the numerous TMN Staff volunteers who all help the network run.
We are on a mission. Did you know that? TMN?s mission: To provide a safe, secure, free place for mothers to find support and encouragement from other mothers and to empower them to be better women, parents and community leaders.
Providing this place to all mothers for free is deep in the core of our values. Your site is available to you for free. Think about that for a minute. How many other mom?s clubs are there where you don?t have to pay dues, there are no membership limitations, and the only thing you have to be is a mom? Not many, and certainly not many that have a nationwide network to support them.
But it is not free to run the free nationwide network. Website hosting isn?t free. Bandwidth isn?t free. Disk space isn?t free. Since we charge no membership fees, we operate solely on the money obtained from donations and sponsorships. When we had a handful of sites, this money wasn?t very difficult to raise, and the network wasn?t very difficult to run. Now with over 100 sites and counting, it is more important that we run things in a way that is sustainable and can allow for growth. We are going after major nationwide sponsorships that will allow us to spread the word about our network in a way in which it has never before been possible. And that excites us tremendously! The larger we are, and the more well-known our name is, the more weight it can carry when we seek sponsorships that help us pay to maintain the network
However, just like regular business, sometimes it takes money to make money. We have to be formidable enough to attract the attention that will take us to the big time. The bigger we get, the more each and every site can benefit by better site performance, top quality network staff, improved software, additional opportunities to enjoy the TMN network, and improved ways to promote your own products and services.
Just to give you an idea of some of our 2010 goals:
National Forum: You've been asking for it for a long time and we are nearly ready to launch our National Website and forum. We are currently researching software options and finding cool applications, games and forums for you to enjoy, along with any other TMN member across the country! We are also planning on a national business directory (all you moms with internet businesses -- think of the exposure!) and instant messaging built right into the site. We are hoping this will be a great benefit to our members and look forward to opening it in 2010.
Liability Insurance: We started the Trekaroo fundraiser to raise money for liability insurance, but we didn't get enough Because of the complexity of risk involved with our organization (multiple sites, lots of moms and kids, nationwide), we are looking at a minimum premium PER YEAR of $15,000.00! That's a lot of money, but its worth it to protect our members and TMN. We really feel it is important to take care of this pressing issue and are hoping to procure liability insurance in 2010.
Complete Website Redesign: Do you guys even KNOW that we have an entire website outside of the forums? Don't feel bad if you don't. We haven't done a great job of providing good content outside of our forums. We have some fabulous ideas for a new site design that has regularly updated content, fun applications and lots of local information and stuff to do! We want to invest and make our community sites places that you want to go to for all your local mom/family-friendly information!
In addition to that, we want to come back to our mission a little bit and increase focus on charitable giving. After all, women and children who need a little help are part of our communities and membership. In giving to them, we are giving to our membership. In giving to them, we further our mission. An escaped victim of domestic abuse who has no clothes to wear to a job interview, or a mother who doesn?t know how she will be able to afford a coat for her child this year, needs our support and encouragement. Women struggling to survive cannot afford to strive to be better mothers or community leaders. We want our local sites to be giving back to their communities in a MAJOR way and to set the example, TMN is pledging to donate 30% of our funds to partner organizations that assist mothers and children. By partnering with these charities, we further OUR mission by providing support and encouragement to the moms beyond our websites.
For the first time ever, we are directly soliciting you, our membership, for donation to our network. Last year, we received a total of $123,542. Most of this money was raised by individual sites and is used for local events and charitable donations. Of the money designated for TMN nationally, most came from sponsorship space sold on our forums. Only $8,000 total came from contributions from our members and sites.
In 2008, we spent:
$11.8 thousand given to charities by our sites
$28.6 thousand spent by our sites on events for the membership
$18.5 thousand spent on the internet hosting for the sites, promotional printing and postage, etc.
$26 thousand in salary (our lone employee, our Sponsorship Manager, handles national sponsorships for the entire network!)
In 2010, we need to spend much more money on technology in order to keep up with the growing network, as well as plan for the future growth. In 2008 we were caught with our knickers down when the network grew too large for our old equipment, and we had to stop opening new sites for several months while we raised money (the Insider Pages fundraiser) in order to equipment that will perform better and allow us to grow. Unfortunately, during the waiting, we did lose several mommies waiting to open new sites. We do not want to ever be in that position again. TMN is catching on nationwide, and we need to meet our future head-on. Not play catch-up to it.
So, we are asking you to put your money where your mommie is. We are asking you do donate money to TMN. At the top of each forum and on each home page is a place where you can donate. If TMN has made a difference in your life, we ask that you help keep us running so that we can continue to make a difference in the lives of moms across the country.
As a thank you, we have some super-cool, limited edition Fund Drive 2009 Gear! We'll post more about that in the next day or two, but believe me when I tell you -- you are going to LOVE it
Additionally, every time you donate $25, you will get an entry into our Fund Drive Raffle, to be in the running to win lots of cool prizes, such as:
An iPod Nano
An iPod Shuffle
Britax (winners choice of any product (limited edition excluded)!)
Nintendo DS My Virtual Tudor Reading
Savings Angel memberships
A $50 Dress Barn Gift Card
A Dress Barn Tote Bag
A Dress Barn Pashmina
A Febreeze Gift Basket
A French Food's Gift Baskets
A Baby Banz Sunscreen Kit
A Six-Month membership to Netflix
A 3-month membership on Care.com
A Manischewitz Kosher food basket
A $10 Papa John's Gift Card
A Clearwater Infant Bath Tub by 4Moms
A Wooden Musical Band Drum Set
A Black Alphabet Zoo ReStik Wall Stickers Set
Please consider donating to TMN this month. We are excited about the coming year and look forward to reaching out to many more moms in 2010 -- and we will have all of YOU to thank for that!
