Power of Moms Retreat...Looking for a location

Do you know the perfect Northern Virginia/DC/Maryland location for a Power of Moms Retreat? 

Earlier this year I joined Power of Moms as a board member.  It is something that I love to do and I am so excited that we are planning a retreat in my neck of the woods this summer!  I'm hoping you can help me with some details...please forward this page to anyone that may have a lead for me...Thanks!

We're holding a Power of Moms Mini-Retreat Saturday morning, June 15th, and we're still looking for just the right place.   If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them!


What are Power of Moms Retreats? 

Since June of 2010, The Power of Moms has held 22 Retreats and Mini-Retreats around the country and world.  This page on our website describes the Retreats in greater detail, but our main goal is to gather mothers to a beautiful location and give them an opportunity to strengthen each other, participate in meaningful discussions, and return home armed with ideas and inspiration to help them build great families.

A 1/2 day Retreat lasts about 3 hours, and it includes presentations by certified trainers or the Power of Moms Founders, April or Saren (with lots of audience participation), small group discussion and nice refreshments.

We focus on topics such as taking care of the person inside the mom, establishing family systems, moving good ideas forward, and keeping a healthy perspective on motherhood.  Each Retreat has been incredible.  Not because we think we're incredible, but because the mothers who attend are deliberate, sharp, wonderful women who want to create strong families.  Simply being in a room with so many good women who simply want to grow and learn from each other is powerful. 

The retreat we are planning for June 15th will be an inspirational morning entitled, "Live Deliberately: Dare, Dream, and Do".  A past event description can be found here.

Here are the details on our location search:

What are we looking for? While we are considering some beautiful hotels and event centers, we would love to find a large home that can seat between 40 and 90 mothers.  (We won't be bringing our children, so it will stay very clean!)  By holding the Retreat in a home, we are able to keep the costs down and enable more mothers to attend.  There is also something beautiful about being in a home atmosphere.

Location: Northern Virginia, Maryland or DC.  Our ideal location is somewhere near Vienna so it is easily accessible to the beltway and central for participants coming from Virginia, Maryland and DC. 

Ideal amenities: Convenient parking, space for small discussion groups to form (can be in the same area as the main meeting), two restrooms, and the ability to bring in outside catering for refreshments.

Date and Time: This Mini-Retreat will be Saturday, June 15th from 9:30 am to 12 pm. We'll need to set up the day before or early in the morning, and then we'll stay to clean up, so it will probably be more like 8 am to 2 pm with set up on Friday, June 14th sometime.

What will The Power of Moms provide?  Chair rental (if needed), catered refreshments to be brought in, clean up after the Retreat, plus all the set-up, logistics, etc.  Basically, if a homeowner is kind enough to co-sponsor this Retreat, we will take care of all the details and do our best to create as little disruption as possible.


Here are a couple of photos from our Retreats:

If you can think of a location that would be right for this event, would you please email janae.messick (at) powerofmoms.com and let me know about it?

Thank you so much!

Love,
JaNae

Precious

My baby.

I'm so thankful that she's a cuddly little one!

Is there anything better than a soft, warm little body sleeping soundly on you during church?

Once her head relaxed and she drifted off I struggled to hear anything being said...I just got lost in gazing at her perfect little eyelashes and cheeks.  I couldn't resist pulling out my phone and snapping pictures.  In the middle of the lesson.  I'll never regret it!

1st Annual Messick Day

We started a new tradition this month...We decided to celebrate our family!

Saturday was the 1st annual Messick family "We Love to be a Family" Day.

It wasn't my idea but I shamelessly copy brilliant people to enhance our family life!  Here is a post about the original idea and tips for planning your own (it's not as hard as you think...we decided to do ours 2 days before!)

It was so refreshing to pause all the other "important" things that steal our attention and keep us multi-tasking 24/7, to remember how much we love each other.  We celebrate all kinds of other holidays during the year...why not make time for the most important thing to us?  Our family.  Our plan was to celebrate our family by doing things that we like to do together...  

Ryan whipped up this treasure map with some paint and a brush at 10:30 the night before!  I added hearts that had our surprise activity scribbled on the back (you could get really creative with clues, poems and riddles...but this was our first attempt...simple!)

We started off with a little discussion about why families are important to us and covered some of our religious beliefs about the purpose of life and where we came from.  We talked about how lucky we are to have each other to experience life together.  It's good to remind us all that even though kids fight like crazy sometimes, we really are each other's best cheerleaders and truly want each other to be happy!

Then the girls and I got silly "striking a pose" for the camera!

Then it was time to start discovering the secret plans on our treasure map...one heart at a time...



#1: Time for a Heart Attack!  Decorate the kitchen with family love.

We do this activity every year around Valentine's day anyways.  We hadn't done it yet, and it was a great way to start the day off.  

 Everyone started cutting out hearts and filling them up with all the things they loved about each other.  I love how involved even Audrey stayed the whole time.  She and Alice were our expert wall designers...they filled that wall up as fast as we could pump them out!

 #2: Call Great-Grandpa Jolley just to tell him we love him.  Sing some favorite songs to him.

We are so lucky to have my Grandpa living in Virginia with my parents right now.  The girls have fallen in love with him.  They were so sweet on the phone and he was thrilled to get a call on his slow Saturday morning!  We even sang "Twinkle, Twinkle" at Audrey's request!


#3: Take Treats to some friends that just moved back to our area.  Welcome Home!

 

#4: Watch a movie as a family (while Audrey takes a nap!)

 It's always amazing when we all sit down and take time to laugh together.  It seems like normally when a movie comes on I take advantage of the time to accomplish things that I can't do with kids under-feet.  It sure was nice to just be snuggled up with everyone in the middle of the day!

#5: Make an official 2012 Family Playlist/CD

I'm so excited about this part!

Everybody got to pick 3 songs.  Then we had a little space left (CD) so we all agreed on a couple more that had been big hits when it was time to clean recently.  I'm not sure if this screen shot is the final version but it's close!

We love music and singing and dancing in our house!  You'll notice from the playlist that we have a few Taylor Swift fans.  It was funny to hear them debate the songs.  They all agreed that certain songs that were suggested were "so last year"!  I think it will be so fun to be able to go back to see what music was the soundtrack of our lives 10 or 20 years ago.

Drumroll...

#6: The finale!  CiCi's Pizza for dinner

The kids have been begging to go to CiCi's pizza for quite some time.  We knew this was an easy way to end on something they'd be ecstatic about.  I mean what kid isn't in heaven with all you can eat Mac&Cheese pizza?!?!

Of course I was so excited about this quality establishment that it slipped my mind to take pictures.  But you know what kids look like when they zone out to cartoons while they are eating!  Ryan and I enjoyed a decent dinner conversation!

___________________________________________

I'm not sure how the date will be determined each year.  I'm certain that the activities will stay simple but won't necessarily be the same each year (except that playlist!).  We were definitely disappointed that we couldn't do one of our favorite family activities of hiking because the weather was so bitter cold and windy that day...maybe next year we'll wait until March?  

But...what a great experience!  I love how traditions and rituals are the glue that keep us together as families.  I think this one is already one of our favorites and a definitely keeper!

The Power of Moms

A little over a year ago, I discovered a little gem of an online community & support network.  I want to make sure you know about it because it has changed me in so many good ways!

This site is run by two amazing women who have put together a fabulous place for mothers to find tools, learn skills, and feel support.  I love that I feel validated during the hard moments of motherhood.  But I also feel safe because the site keeps an upbeat, positive message about motherhood.  When I am am tempted to travel a negative road and want to give up I know that the Power of Moms will steer me back to a place of hope and purpose!

The tag-line of their name is: "A gathering place for deliberate mothers."  I love the concept of being deliberate.  Thanks to the many articles that are posted on their site, I have shifted my attitude towards the daily grind of mothering (most days!).  I am slowly changing how I view my role.  It is an opportunity to grow and improve--not just endless trials I must survive.  I am slowly becoming deliberate in many parts of my parenting.  It feels so good to have purpose.  To choose how and why I want us to move through an experience instead of just surviving it!

Here's a short list of some of the resources that The Power of Moms offers:

Daily articles.  So uplifting!  They always end with a challenge that help you apply them to your life and make change.

Podcasts.  My favorite.  I listen on the go & make use of the empty spaces of my day...like long drives to doctors offices! 

Mind Organization for Moms (M.O.M) program

One truth I have learned is that life never really slows down.  Next week?  Next month?  I always hope for that magical blissful time.  But the beauty is that life is packed full!  I have always been an organized person, but had never thought it possible to have peace of mind in the midst of such busy-ness!

The Mind Organization for Moms program has taught me a better way to direct the flow of information and thoughts that are flying around my head and my house!  It took me a little while to get it all flowing smoothly but now I feel like I'm not dropping balls all over the place.  I'm actually moving forward on projects and my priorities are defined so that I can make better choices about what I spend my time on (I can say "yes" and "no" to people with more confidence!)  My favorite part (besides no mountain of papers on my desk) is that it doesn't feel like one more thing to do...it is simply the way I function and I can't imagine ever doing it differently.  The full program costs money but here's a free way to get started on the basics!

I love helping people get started so if you ever need to bounce questions around as your figuring it out...it'd be fun for me!

Learning Circles

A group of friends that meets once a month to discuss an assigned article.  Part girls night out (fun!), part book club & motherhood course, part support group.  This is the most meaningful girl-time I could have.  Through the monthly assignments I am slowly making real progress on myself and my mothering.  I have been part of a learning circle for almost a year now and I see the changes in me and my home and family!

If you sign up for a free account you get access to several things for free.  So go sign up.  Become the mother you dream of being and find joy in your busy, imperfect, beautiful family!

In interest of full disclosure I have decided to be an affiliate of the Power of Moms and I am super excited to start volunteering for them to help support other mothers.  Being an affiliate basically means that if you click on the buttons on my page before you purchase something on their site, they give me a small percentage of the purchase price.  My motivation is far from financial.  Its something I am passionate about and I hope it can change your life as much as mine!

You Matter to Me!

As much as I love recording life through pictures, journal-ing, or blogging...my ability to get pictures of my kids on the wall is nothing to brag about!

It usually takes my current 2 year old noticing that they are missing in the family pictures that we walk past every day to motivate me to get things up to date!  Sad, I know!

I improved when #4 was born.  I think I added one baby picture of her to our family arrangement by the time she was 6 months old.  Although she's coming up to 2 years old now and she still doesn't appear in the family pictures....gonna work on that this week!

Earlier this year, I found Alice (almost 5) taping a snapshot that she found on her wall.  It was a baby picture of Hayley with dad.  I used to print pictures for scrapbooking back when Hayley was younger so they are around!  I asked Alice if she knew that it was Hayley not her.  She said "Yes, but I like to pretend it's me!"

Knife to the heart!

Ugg!

Big old "F-" on that grade, Mom!!!

So I tried hard to compensate this Christmas.

I made these beautiful posters for each girl.  They are a collage of pictures from their growing up years.

They love them.

Each poster hangs above the appropriate bed.  I love how their eyes light up as we talk about how cute they were.

It's so important for them to know how precious their presence in our life is!

So anyways...I have to show off...

(from Paper Coterie: they sold coupons that were about 70% off last July...score!  Get on that mailing list!)

Then I was on a roll...so I created these journals for them.  

Hayley Journals: Front Cover

Hayley got the standard journal + a book to write her songs in.  

She's quite the song writer right now, and I don't want her to ever lose those songs!

Hayley Journals: Back Cover

This is a new idea that we're going to try out.  It's a pre-teen/teen journal.  I've heard this idea from a few parents and thought we'd give it a shot.  This is a journal for Hayley to pass back and forth with notes and conversations between Dad and/or Mom and herself.  We're hoping it helps to keep communication open as we embark on this exciting growing up time!

Maya Journal: front cover

Maya Journal: back cover

Maya will probably be the most consistent journal writer.

She's requested a pile of baby pictures (just loose 4x6s) for her birthday too!

Alice Journal: front cover

Alice Journal: back cover

When we ask Alice what her favorite Christmas present was--this journal is it.  Plus the pile of loose 4x6 baby/toddler pictures that we gave her.

The picture on the back cover is her absolute favorite picture in the world: Daddy happens to be her favorite person in the world.  And being silly is the #1 priority in her book!

She's so proud of her little smiling journal.  Takes it everywhere.  She can't write sentences independently yet but she finds things to mark, draw and copy in it.  I love that it makes her feel valued and important.

I thought I had learned long ago how important 'knowing their story' is in the life of a child.  But it was reinforced to me again this year.  I just don't think we can ever tell too many stories about the good times, or have too many pictures of our kids growing up!  What do you do to display stories in your life?

Capturing this moment: Family Pictures 2012

Why do we do it to ourselves?  Is it really worth it?  Family pictures again? 

I ask these questions of myself when the time rolls around each year.  The baby is guaranteed to not nap at the right time.  The older kids who are normally quite cooperative in public situations will decide that today is the day to experiment with hyperactivity.  Someone will refuse to wear the outfit that I have stressed over for weeks.  Someone else will fall and scrape their knee.  There will be tears over hair not looking right.  Fights.  Bribes and more bribes.  Threats.  Frustration.  Tension.  Smile!  

Yet we forge ahead...determined to capture this moment in our family!

A few months ago in October 2012, Ryan's sister, Rhonda was in town visiting.  She has a booming professional photography business in Los Angeles: Rhonda Harris Photography.  I have seen her work--follow her blog--and am always in awe.  But I hadn't had the pleasure of witnessing and benefiting from her talent first hand.  She was incredible!  You could tell that she loved what she did and didn't let the inevitable whims of children dampen her excitement and joy.  Her relaxed, fun attitude was contagious!  I normally worry every time a child doesn't cooperate and feel that it's my job to "fix" their mood (yeah, right!)  But not with Rhonda.  She knew just how to tweak poses to take the pressure off of a kid that was anxious and was happy to move on and come back when things weren't working.  It was almost fun!  Besides the results were amazing.

So, are annual family pictures worth it?  Yes!  Even the ones that weren't so fun are treasured masterpieces to me.  I love the millions of candid snapshots that we have crammed on computer hard drives.  But the annual family pictures are milestones to me.  Pictures that we will treasure and display forever that will help us to remember the good and happy parts of this episode of our family.

So enjoy...these are just a few...