Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Contest: Perfect Ideas for "Me" Time

Here's a contest from one of my favorite magazines, Girlfriend Getaways, from the publishers of Budget Travel. They are looking for cool ideas for "mevenings", i.e, how you relax solo. Have an idea to share? Here are the details of the contest - submit your idea for a chance to win a fantastic bag of spa goodies! ;)


What's Your Recipe for a Perfect "Mevening"?
"With work projects, demands from family, and making time to see friends, it can be tough to schedule "me" time. We want to hear all about the way you prefer to spend alone time. Take a bath, put on a face mask, bake a cake—or maybe all three? E-mail Info@GirlGetaways.com with the details by October 24 and include a photo. The reader with the most interesting Mevening will be featured in an upcoming issue and will win a fabulous bag of spa products." Source


Haven't had any quality "me" time lately? What are you waiting for!? Head to your local library or bookstore and pick up a juicy read, take yourself out for a latte, rent a movie, or splurge on a spa pedicure.


Share your ideas - we'd love to hear them!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Mandarin Update: Off to the Gaylord National

Quick update on my hotel test run project. You remember, I needed to test out a few hotels for office guests in from overseas - I promptly made my reservation at the lavish Mandarin Oriental hotel for me, hubby and the kids....NOT! After getting excited about the free hotel stay and my Cherry Blossom Ritual massage reservation, I find out that the hotel has a STRICT policy on kids staying in the room. Obviously, they don't factor in families with twins +1, because the Mandarin only allows 2 kids per guest room. Repeat - if you are traveling with kids, only 2 kids allowed (or else pay for another room). Bummer!

So I passed the Mandarin project off to our assistant, "K" - she quickly accepted my Cherry Blossom massage and enjoyed 3 nights at the 5-star hotel. I even tortured myself by dropping her off to check-in. The lobby is grand and screams 5-star excellence. "K" fully documented her stay: from the plush king size bed, LCD TV in the bathroom, perfect view of the city and turn down service that includes hot chocolate chip cookies and fresh berries (they had me at hello), she says that the Mandarin Oriental won't disappoint. Even at a whopping $500+ a night, she swears the service is worth it. I guess hubby and I will have to travel there minus kids.

Next stop: Gaylord National Resort at National Harbor

Update soon!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

In the Company of Friends: BlogHer DC Reach Out Tour 2008

Picture it – a day away from the office and kids. The smell of Starbucks coffee, yummy breakfast croissants and fruit. A room of sponsors and giveaways. The sound of women buzzing about anything from kids, weight loss, mid-life, html codes, and politics. And best of all, the sweet sound of laptop keyboards….sound like heaven? Almost – BlogHer DC was planned as a blogosphere heaven, with the woman blogger in mind. Monica, with Urban Charm Chat, and I spent an amazing day in the company of internet friends. The BlogHer DC Reach Tour was a one day conference designed to inspire and motivate women bloggers by offering training, technical support and encouragement. In addition to the seminars, with topics ranging from: “Blogging Basics”, “Steps to Personalize, Polish and Promote Your Blog” to “Building your Blog for a Cause”, bloggers were given the opportunity to network during a quasi Speed-Dating icebreaker and freely ask questions from blogging pros throughout the day. The conference was perfect for a newbie blogger, as well as the expert.

During the day, I met a diverse group of women whose blogging experience ranged, yet all were valuable in offering new ideas. Rachel Rappaport, with Coconut and Lime, gave me awesome tips on staying organized, Karen Batchelor with Midlife’s a Trip, gave me encouragement to find my “voice” through blogging and De in DC with A Spiced Life, gave me the creative spark to bring cool business cards to an event!

I was excited to come home, browse the business cards from the incredible women I met and dig through my swag from the day. All in all, I’d say it was a day, well spent ;)

If you haven’t hooked up with BlogHer yet, I’d suggest checking them out. They may be headed to a city near you!

Until the next Reach Our Tour….