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Fantasy Weekend

Okay, so I've been dealing with a lot of change in my life lately and it has made me feel very lonely at times. I have found myself really missing my close girlfriends - the ones that I can tell all the screwed up thoughts about myself to without worrying what they're going to think about me. It got me thinking about how hard it is to find time to nurture the relationships with other women that I treasure and how much I really need that nourishment for my soul. I can't lie...what really started me thinking about this was the drink I was going to make myself once Cassie was asleep later that night. This of course, got me fantasizing about those weekends in college where you could go out with your girlfriends and drink yourself silly without having to wait until the baby is in bed or care about the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. Keep in mind, this was all happening as I sat in rush hour traffic on Friday afternoon with Cassie passed out in her car seat - just to set the scene. Yes, I was paying attention to the road. I'm a woman; I multi-task!

Anyway, I digress. So I started calling a few of my girlfriends in an effort to talk some of this over before I burst into tears on the 91 freeway. Unfortunately, none of them answered their phones...which got me thinking...their lives are as crazy as mine and maybe I wasn't totally alone in my misery. I'd like to say that this made me feel better, but it didn't. However, about 20 minutes down the road (by the way, this is about 7 miles in 91 freeway time), when the self-pity and self-loathing started to retreat, I got an idea. What if we had a reason to get together once a year for something that was affordable and meaningful enough that we would leave our kids, spouse, and take a day off of work if necessary to nourish our souls?

This got me excited because my next thought was about my bachelorette party. No, we're not back to the drinking again. Unlike many bachelorette parties, my sisters planned the perfect girls getaway with plenty of time for talking and catching up with friends while still making room for some pampering. That weekend was one of those special moments in time that I hold on to because I knew it was one of those moments that couldn't be repeated. It was at this great location on the central coast of California called Sycamore Springs http://www.sycamoresprings.com/. A few of you will remember this place. The area is near the beach, wine tasting, has spa and mineral springs facilities, paths for hiking, affordable lodging, good food...what else needs to be said after wine and food??

So now for the idea - A Women's Retreat Weekend. There would be a loose itinerary allowing time for sleeping-in, reading, catching up with old friends, and making new ones, but would also have opportunities to feed the body, mind and spirit. We wouldn't bring in outsiders to facilitate it; it would be facilitated by the women in attendance. Each woman could participate in as little or as much as she wanted.

Here are some ideas to give you a better picture of what I'm thinking about: yoga session(s), book review, cooking class, arts & crafts (although this would not be a sales opportunity for scrapbooking or stamping), meditation, etc. All this would be coordinated by one or more of the women attending the weekend. There could also be time for things such as spa treatments, wine tasting, and exploring the area. There would also be sometime each day where we would all come together, connect and share.

So I haven't worked out any details beyond this, but does this interest anyone? I'd love to attend something like this, and I'm willing to take the lead, but I would need a commitment from other women to help make the weekend happen - an event committee so to speak.

Post your thoughts and if there's enough interest, perhaps we can work for something next year.

If You Give a Mommy a Muffin

Just a little something we can all relate to!!

If you give a Mom a muffin...
She'll want a strong cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll make herself some.
Her three year old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer, she'll trip over boots and bump into the box of Goodwill items.
Bumping into the Goodwill items will remind her she has to get these boxes in the car and out of her basement.
When she puts the boxes in the car, she'll find a bag of groceries and this will remind her she has to cook dinner.
She will get out the chicken defrosting in the fridge.
She'll look for her cookbook (101 Things To Do With Chicken).
The cookbook will be sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the Netflix movie she's meant to mail and the preschool bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook will be in her purse that is being dumped out by her one year old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the baby's diaper.
As she finishes up, she'll realize she brought the hand sanitizer down to the kitchen.
While she is throwing away the diaper and searching for the hand sanitizer, the phone will ring.
Her three year old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend not for coffee but a very strong drink.
Thinking of drinking will remind her that she was going to have a cup of coffee in order to stay awake for the rest of the day.
And chances are...
If she finds her cup of coffee (which she has to reheat by now), her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.