events

May 23, 2010

aquafina flavorsplash event at morimotos!

This past Thursday, I joined some of my favorite Philly bloggers – and a few new friends from Mom Central – at Morimotos in Philly.

For once, Sarah, Jo-Lynne and I arrived early with no drama. We tend to have unplanned adventures when we travel together, which generally end with us arriving late for things 😉
So the evening was off to a good start! We even had time to snap a picture outside Morimotos:

We walked up to the cozy, upstairs lounge and first up was to try some Aquafina FlavorSplash! There were six flavors: Lemon, Grape, Mixed Berry, Strawberry Kiwi, Peach Mango, and Raspberry. I wasn't a fan of the grape (I don't like grape drinks) or the lemon, but I loved the Peach Mango and the Berry. YUMMY! I confess both to not drinking enough water and not really liking plain water very much, so I enjoyed trying this new (calorie-free!) alternative!
And look how cute the tasting display was:

How fun is that?!! Then came the food.

Oh. My. Word!
I'm not a huge sushi connoisseur, but this was amazing. The lobster appetizer was out of this world and so were the dumplings. And then I hit the sushi hard!! It was hands out the best sushi I've ever had. We all had a great time eating the fantastic food, hanging out and catching up face to face.

Then we made an important discovery: the Lychee Cosmopolitan. I would like to make a motion to make that the official cocktail of the Philly Social Media Moms. Oh, does Mom Central and Aquafina FlavorSplash know moms. Giving us a Mom's Night Out what the doctor ordered!! Thanks so much for the party, Ladies!!

Look at this great crew:

Front Row: Sarah, Heather, Mel, Jo-Lynne, Beth, Elizabeth;
Back Row: Holly, Teresa, Shannon, Debbie, Michelle, Sarah, and ME!

disclosure: I
wrote this post after attending an event sponsored by Aquafina
FlavorSplash and Mom Central. I received FlavorSplash goodies and a
gift card as a thank you for posting.

February 15, 2010

quick disney social media moms recap!

Melissa 8 Comments

Yesterday we returned from 5 fun-filled days at the Walt Disney World Resort, where I had the privilege of attending the Disney Social Media Moms Conference (#DisneySMMoms).

I've been to many a bloggy event and I must say, this was the event to end all events. It was not only tons of fun, but it was also intimate, very well-organized, offered inspiring and informative speakers and it included my whole family. There is no way to cut down all that we did into a post that is less than 5 pages long, so here are just a few quick highlights…

the Disney touch: When I say this conference was well-organized, I am not kidding. They thought of everything. Events started and ended right on schedule, buses were waiting to take us directly back and forth to the hotel and they were handing out umbrellas when it rained. Even little details, like the media fast pass or the activities for the kids during meals or serving the kiddos hot chocolate at a chilly outdoor event or handing out hand warmers at the evening concert… Disney does it right and this conference was no different!
the speakers: I don't know who was in charge of lining up speakers for this conference, but who ever you are, you did a fantastic job. Maxine Clark, the founder and CEO of Build-A-Bear was inspired us to chase our dreams, Tony award winner Marissa Winokur encouraged us to find humor in balancing work and motherhood, Kathy Ireland challenged us to never give up and find our passion. Guy Kawasaki gave us tips on how to harness the power of Twitter for our sites while Chris Brogan gave us some common sense advice on marketing — both were terrific for busy moms who are always trying to make the most of our time!
the people: I got to see many old friends and meet some fabulous new bloggers! I could not even list all the terrific people I met if I tried. I loved hanging out with Colleen from Classy Mommy and Whitney from Mommies with Style (my Philly girls!) It was great to see Audrey from Mom Generations again and Danielle from Extraordinary Mommy was so lovely. It was a diverse group of moms (with a few dads thrown in 🙂 and they were such a great bunch. People were so friendly and genuine – it really made the conference for me!
my family: This was the first conference that I've seen that included my entire family. Like most other moms, my main struggle in attending conferences and events is arranging childcare. So to be able to bring them along was perfect. It was such an amazing event and being able to share the magic with my husband and children was priceless. Plus, it was great to meet everyone else's kids! As Mommy bloggers, so many of us write about our kids every day, so it was fun to meet the stars of all the blogs I read 🙂

There's so much more to share… but it will take a while it get it all down! I'll be posting more soon!

June 1, 2009

picnic with a purpose

Melissa 2 Comments

This weekend we attended Picnics with a Purpose, sponsored by The Motherhood and Hebrew National. First of all, a HUGE thanks to Jo-Lynne who planned and shopped and organized her tail off for this event! She did a great job! The venue was perfect!
Our picnic collected donations and did service projects for The Home of the Sparrow, an incredible organization who supports moms in need of emergency housing. We had the kids decorate crates to carry the loads and loads of donations we collected and also planted flowers for the residents:

There were crafts, face painting (courtesy of mommy-blogger, Elizabeth) which was a HUGE hit with my girls, and, thanks to Hebrew National, there was loads of food. Not only did my kids totally gobble up those yummy hot dogs, but they also sent Hebrew National t-shirts for the kids. How cute is Colin??? (This is appropiate, seeing as he could eat nothing but Hebrew National hot dogs and be blissfully happy!)

I had my little helper on my back. He spent most of the picnic either on our backs or eating hot dogs. And chalk. He loves to eat chalk for some reason.
Our kids had a blast at the picnic – and not just because of the hot dogs and face painting! We have a great community of bloggers here in Philly and they have a great group of kids! My girls are already asking if there is going to be another picnic soon!!

Colleen, Stephanie, Jo-Lynne, Mel, Whitney, Melissa, Kim, Beth, Shannon, Amy, Sarah, Megan …I'm sure we missed some people in the picture, but it was great to see everyone again… and super fun to see everyone's kids! We read about each other's children all the time on each other's blogs – how fun to meet them all in person!

You can see many more pictures on the Picnics with a Purpose flickr page.

February 27, 2009

moms’ night in – could this be a weekly event?

Melissa 10 Comments

Last night I was invited to blogging get together.
I almost didn't go.
You see, yesterday was rough. The party began at 7:00. At 7:00, I was ready for bed. I was still in my sweats, which I had worn all day and I hadn't even washed my face yet.
But my Husband basically ordered me to go. I think he said something like, "If you don't go there, you need to go somewhere by yourself because you're getting that look…" (What can I say? He just gets me!)

BOY am I glad I went! It was a wonderful "Mom’s Night In," the idea of Beth Feldman of Role Mommy and BeyondPr; sponsored by Bio-Medical Research, Makers of Slendertone; and hosted by Colleen of Classy Mommy.

Talk about just what the doctor ordered!! Manicures, makeovers, massages, — a whole night centered around encouraging busy moms to take the time to take care of themselves.

I arrived really late (about 45 minutes!) and had to park on another street, there were so many cars. It was great chatting and catching up with other Philly mommy bloggers, who I've met a few times now, and getting to meet some new faces.

I arrived and went over to the makeover table where Sarah was getting her make-up done. Jo-Lynne had just finished getting hers and they both looked GORGEOUS! There was a line at that point, since word was out how amazing this guy was, so I decided to skip the makeup. (Seeing as not much was going to cover my under-eye circles this week!) But I am absolutely planning to visit his salon, Calista Grand Salon and Day Spa in West Chester, to get a full consultation. He was making everyone look amazing!

So Jo-Lynne and I decided to go for the massage. I believe she may have said something like "You look like you could use one" but I'm not sure.
This is the massage company that is set up in the King of Prussia mall with those massage chairs. I've never stopped there, seeing as I usually have two or more children with me. (Although, isn't that when you could most use some relaxing? Could they somehow combine the massage with babysitting? That would sell. But I digress.) I've never even had a chair massage, thinking they weren't worth it. Boy was I wrong – just 15 minutes did the trick! Even the stiff neck I had been enjoying all day was gone!

We heard a presentation by Bio-Medical Research about their Slendertone products.
I've been trying to get inspired to work out more and this was just the message I needed to hear: Make the time to exercise and take care of yourself! It will make you a better mom! I got to take home the Slendertone Revive which I am hoping to try out later today. It is supposed to help sore muscles, of which I have many today, due to impulsively deciding to do some kickboxing yesterday. (I was trying to drown my frustration in something that did not contain chocolate!) I'll let you know how it works!!

After that I got my nails done by the delightful ladies of Calista, who did an amazing job. (In the swag bag from Calista was a gift certificate to get a
free manicure with a paid pedicure. Like I'm going to let THAT go to waste!!) Then I had to run, seeing as I did have sick kids at home and all. I would have loved to stay and chatted a bit more, but duty called!

Thanks again to our hostess,
Colleen, and of course Beth Feldman, for creating such a great evening "in!!"