Friday, November 5

5:00pm – Guest arrival/check in and gift bag

6:30pm​ – Registration opens

7:00pm – Cocktail reception

7:30pm​ – Facilitated ice-breakers/meet and greet

8:15pm – ​LIVE podcast recording with Erin & Kristin – Plus, door prizes & giveaways

9:00pm – Moms’ night out

Saturday, November 6

8:00am – Fitness class with Jen and Kelley

10:00am​ – Brunch with guest speaker (TBD)

11:00am – Manic Mommies Book Club discussion with Elizabeth McCraken, author, “An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: A Memoir”

11:00am – 3:00pm – Design your own Escape (shopping, spa, sightseeing on own)

3:30pm – 5:30pm – ​Mom U.
This year we’re celebrating the Manic Mommies audience. All Mom U. workshops are led by a fabulous Manic Mommies listener! (Select two, 45 minute sessions)

• Workshop #1 Wish BIG Inspiration Journals
  Mindy Tsonas, founder, WishStudio.com
  Need a jump start to help you dive into an idea or project you’ve been thinking about?  Want to redecorate that room?  Start that book group?  Plan that big bash?  Create that handmade business?  Whatever it is, in this workshop we will take the first steps in the direction of your dream by creating a special space for you to wish, plan and create.  Together, using file folders, craft papers and collaging materials and embellishments we will design and construct a mixed media inspiration journal with images and words to light your creative fire.  Please bring a magazine you don’t mind sharing and cutting up, and all other craft goodies will be provided.  If you join us for this workshop you also can sign up to take part in a post Escape creative swap – a great way to stay crafty and connected!
• Workshop #2 How to Run Your Days So They Don’t Run You
  Erin Hederschedt, mother of four boys, parent coach and teacher
  Looking to parent your kids with purpose from son (or daughter) up to sundown? In this workshop we’ll cover everything you need to know to make your daily family life run more smoothly: from the morning rush of getting the kids out the door to midday meltdowns at home or the store. Then it’s on to dinner and the bedtime routine and what about all those hiccups in between? Come ready to tackle the pain points in your day and please bring your questions.
• Workshop #3 Speaking Your Truth
  Kristin Grimes, CPCC and Joan Shulman, CPCC, certified professional career coaches
  Do you ever say “yes” but wish you had said “no”?  Do you find yourself overcommitted and unsatisfied with your relationships? The ability to speak from the heart is often silenced by life’s “shoulds” and in trying to please our partners, our children, our employers and extended families, how authentic is that?  Are these relationships truly being honored? By saying “yes” to what else are we saying “no”? Using humor, self-reflection and open dialogue, these questions and others will be explored. Life coaches Kristin and Joan will take you through some exercises to find out where your truth lies and the signs that will help you discover what deserves a “yes” and what deserves a “no.” You will come away with a renewed commitment to yourself and to those you care about.
• Workshop #4 Organizing Through the Ages
  Tina Brooks, certified life documents organizer, owner, Methods Organizing
  In today’s busy world being organized is essential.  This is especially true for moms who are juggling the responsibilities of raising children, running a household and, in some cases, advancing a career.  This workshop will examine some of the biggest organizational challenges facing moms throughout their children’s lives and will offer ideas for processes and products that will help relieve the stress.  We will also offer tips on how to teach your children to be organized from a very young age and explain how this skill could make all the difference in their success both in school and life.  Along the way we’ll also look at the different organizing styles and talk about how your way of organizing may be very different from that of your husband or your children.  There’s no right way to get organized.  The most important thing is to find systems that work for you and your family.  You’ll leave this workshop with a great toolbox of methods that will, once implemented, help you manage a little of the madness in your life.
• Workshop #5: How to be a FitMom for a FitFamily
  Jennifer Blau and Kelley Bennett, fitness coaches
  Experts have predicted that our children may be the first generation to not outlive their parents.  Here’s the good news: we, as mothers, have the power to influence and shape a child’s food choices, activity levels, and lifestyle factors that can actually prevent obesity.  In this workshop, Jen and Kelley will not only help you outline a personal fitness plan but also tackle the greater issue of bringing health and fitness to your entire family.  Whether you have been leading a sedentary lifestyle for years or have already completed a marathon or two, this workshop will cover topics that can be applied to women of varying levels of fitness.  Come ready to discuss the struggles that prevent you and your family from leading an active lifestyle and be prepared to leave with a plan of attack!

6:30pm – Manic Mommies Margarita Party!

8:00pm – Dinner on your own

Sunday, November 7

8:00am – Fitness class with Kelley and Jen

10:00am​ – “Passion and Zen: Stories on Following Your Dreams, Being a Mom and Redefining Balance”
Brunch and community keynote with Manic Mommies listener Angela Devlen

Angela is a passionate advocate for humanitarian, healthcare and women’s issues working on several projects including prevention of violence against women, gender issues in disasters, grassroots education and community development projects. Angela is a partner at Wakefield Brunswick, a management consulting firm, and the president of Mahila Partnership, a nonprofit she founded in 2007.

11:00am – Group photo and business card swap

12:00pm – See you next year!

"The" outfit

Despite my very best intentions to avoid back to school shopping, we were forced into the stores after I sorted through the kids’ wardrobes and discovered that, while the drawers had been filled with clothing, very few items actually fit either child. While we normally shop at Target and Old Navy, we decided to try something different and bring the kids to J.C. Penney. (A store name that I cannot speak without thinking of an old camp skit of the same name).

This year we had a new challenge  – Sophie is tall with a very long torso, which means we have to shop in the “big girls” section of the store. Wandering through the racks of clothes, I was faced with choices that were a mix of Madonna (circa 1985 – think Desperately Seeking Susan) and Janis Joplin/Rachel Zoe boho-chic.

Even Sophie seemed a little stunned by the selection – she wanted to know if the fur vest was “real bear,” laughed at the leggings that looked like they were made of rubber, and told me the pair of jeans, which appeared to have been shredded by a large farm tractor, were too “dirty.”

I found myself having to veto a couple of her choices – including the dress with the racer back; the “naughty” catholic school uniform, and the jeans with the Supergirl logo “bedazzled” on the butt – and wishing I was back at our usual shopping grounds.

I also realized I was slowly turning into my mother, complaining about paying for pre-beaten up clothing and wondering about the appropriateness of skinny jeans for a 5 year old.

Fortunately, Sophie and I are still on the same page (I know, it won’t be for many more years) and we both agreed on the “perfect” back to school outfit. Until she changes her mind and decides to wear something totally different.

Kindergarten – here we come!

Links mentioned: IDEA | 504 | Rights for children with ADHD or ADHD | Neuropsych Evaluation

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My sister was in town visiting for the weekend and I thought it would be a fun thing to do together. When she proclaimed “I hate grocery shopping,” I decided to let her stay home with the boys while Mike and I went to the market. Ninety minutes later she was texting me, “When are you coming home?” She couldn’t fathom what I’d be doing at a farmer’s market for 90 minutes.

Truth is, this is no average market. Sunflower stems are three for $1. Baskets of fresh green beans, $1.50. I discovered freshly made pasta with flavors like cheese and cracked pepper and southwest orzo. Pints of fresh strawberries, three for $5. Fresh New York cheddar. Real New York maple syrup. Multigrain bread. Plums are four for $1.

I spent around $40 at the market and got everything pictured here. The most expensive item was the maple syrup at $7. Followed by the fresh pasta and then the olives and cheeses (which were still significantly less than at Wegmans, the famed Rochester grocery chain).

I guess I can add award-winning public market to the running list of reasons why it’s just a great place to raise a family.

Directions

1. Place duck or chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag along with 1/2 cup soy sauce, and let marinate for 1 hour. Heat a lightly oiled grill or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Grill chicken breasts until cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes per side for chicken. Let cool slightly, and shred with your fingers, or cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips with a knife. (Or even easier, pick up a cooked rotisserie chicken at the market!)
2. In a food processor, pulse garlic and ginger until finely chopped. Add chile paste, peanut butter, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, sugar, peanut oil, lime juice, and 4 1/2 tablespoons water, and pulse until smooth. Add 1 or 2 more teaspoons water, and pulse to combine. Set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
4. Dress the noodles with 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce, and transfer to a medium serving bowl. Arrange peanuts, remaining sauce, and prepared fillings in various serving dishes on the table. Guests can create their own rolls by wrapping noodles, a little sauce, and their choice of meat and fillings in a lettuce leaf.

Links mentioned: Jamaica | Eat This, Not That for Kids | Elin Hilderbrand | Dolphin Cove | Tru-Juice | Jamaican Dog Sled Team | Red Stripe Beer | Franklyn D. Resorts | Jamaican Beef Patty | Families-Only Section On Planes | Have Baby Will Travel | Ciao Bambino

Listen: iTunes | Zune | RSS | MP3

Photo Highlights from Jamaica:

When will our schedules align? Maybe once school starts. Except even that’s not the same: Kristin’s kids start this week. Erin’s don’t go until September 8.

They might be right. My kids have adjusted to our move better than I have. Today, I took the boys to Frontier Field to see our minor league Rochester Redwings play the Pawtucket Red Sox. This was the second professional baseball game they attended in four days. You can’t really do that in Boston. We were given free tickets outside the park and the boys were able to scoot down to some empty seats in the front row. Tommy even caught a ball one of the players threw into the stands between innings! At the end of the game, all kids were invited onto the field to run the bases.

Now, I realize this is the minor leagues. But with the outrageous price of tickets in a major league park, this is a welcome change!  A family of four can get four tickets, four hot dogs and four beverages for …wait for it..$30! You can’t even park for that price outside Fenway Park. Fact is, my kids know the difference between the majors and the minors, but they had as much fun today as they ever had at Fenway!

Tomorrow, my babysitter will probably take them on an adventure: the science museum, the children’s museum, or the zoo. They’re all within 15 minutes of our house. On the weekends we’ve taken several hikes through town trails, biked along the Erie Canal, gone swimming in the indoor and outdoor Y pools, and played in the parks.

When I met my new doctor a couple weeks ago, she told me her Rochester story. She grew up in DC, still calls it “home” and yet she lives here with her husband and kids. She came to Rochester for her residency and never left. “It’s just easier here,” she says.

Then there’s the woman I chatted with at the swimming pool who relocated here from San Francisco. “I did it for the kids,” she said, “But I’ll tell you what…I don’t plan on dying here. I’m going back, someday.”

Then I smiled inside thinking, Amen, Sista! I know exacly what you mean.

Readers, meet Erin. No, not that one. Erin H. is a Navy wife, mother of four boys (including one with special needs), a teacher and a parent coach. She’s recently returned to the U.S following a 3-year stint in China (which you can read about here) and runs a few different blogs under the moniker Been There Done That Mom. Along with our other content experts: Jen on Fitness, Kristin G. on life coaching,

You are Better Off When Ready

I know that many, if not most moms, are eager for school to start in the next few weeks.  I actually prefer it when the kids are home.  I’d rather not have to: make lunches, rush out the door, hurry through the daily tasks, monitor homework, fit in dinner, and rush them to bed, only to start again the next day.  Probably since my oldest was in first grade I’ve said that if I could, I’d keep them home with me, rather than send them to school.  No, I really don’t want to homeschool, I’d just rather not have to deal with the ups and downs of the school days.  That said, ready or not, school will be back in session soon; very soon for many kids around the country.  My kids don’t start until after Labor Day, though, so I’ll enjoy the dog days for a few more weeks.

I know opening day is out there.  I’ve seen the displays at Target, gotten ads from Office Depot, even the logo on Yahoo reminds me of the countdown to the opening bell.  So, I decided to venture out do the supply shopping yesterday.  I used to look forward to buying the school supplies.  All the freshly sharpened pencils, crisp notebooks and the wonderful aroma of crayons beckoned.  Now, though, it’s hard to find pre-sharpened pencils.  Therefore, I am the one who has to sharpen them; this thought severely dampens the experience, especially since I have three school aged children, all of whom have about 50 pencils on their supply lists.

Having three school aged kids to buy for makes it a daunting task.  As I stood in the aisle at Target, I found it hard to even get started.  I looked at the first item on the list for the first grader- 2 boxes 24 ct. Crayola crayons.  Crayons are seventh on the list for the fourth grader and not on the seventh grader’s list at all.  Do I go through the first grade list, then the fourth grade list, then the seventh grade list?  Or do I try to get crayons for both at the same time so I don’t have to back track?

I didn’t even get a single item in my cart before I gave up.  Having my 2-year-old in tow probably did not help my state of mind.  I decided to do the shopping from the comfort of my home, online.  Sometimes spending a little more (and it really is very little and the box of supplies comes right to my door) in order to preserve sanity, is worth it.

Getting ready for nine months of packing lunches and snacks is something I do not even want to think about right now, but thinking about it can help me prepare so it’s not such a daunting task.  The main thing I do to make it all easier is to have easily packable items on hand at all times and have back up items to throw in when we run out of time in the morning.  Bags of chips, Uncrustables, bunches of grapes, small applesauces, yogurts, string cheese, etc. all are easy to pack foods.

Bulk bags of healthy snack foods are perfect for helping make the daily snack easier.  (I, personally, don’t remember ever having school sanctioned snack time after kindergarten, but that’s just me.)  I like to keep bulk bags of almonds and dried fruit on hand.  I can just scoop a small plastic container into the bag, pop on the lid and voila- snack is ready for the backpack.

The key to back to school, as any other time in our busy parenting lives, is to make things as easy as possible on ourselves.  Why fret over the small details when, very often, there is a simpler way to go about the task?

The start of the school year is a great chance to start with a clean slate.  Set up a system to make your life easier.  Set a specific place for the kids’ backpacks so that when the kids come home from school, the backpacks, coats, etc. don’t end up all over the house.  You can hang hooks just below the kitchen counter or just inside the door so that the backpacks hang nicely.  Get a coat rack or hang hooks for the kids’ jackets so that they don’t end up dropped at the entryway.  (I also do this with the towels and swimming suits after a day at the pool.)  The key is to keep the mess manageable.  Your house may not look Architectural Digest photo shoot ready, but you’ll feel calmer… at least I do.

Get the children used to a schedule again.  In our house, during the school year, the boys have to read a novel or nonfiction Sunday night through Thursday night.  On the weekends, they can read whatever they choose.  In the summer, they have free choice on Wednesday nights as well.  As it gets closer to the start of school, we go back to the school year reading schedule.  Also, the boys do a bit of “school” work each day.  I print a work sheet off of the internet from a site like math-drills.com.  The boys have to do a worksheet before they get their daily screen time.

All this “order” might make me sound like a drill sergeant and give you the impression that my house runs with military precision (I am a Navy wife, after all). However, just like any other household, we roll with the punches.  Hiccups happen every day, in one form or another.  But, with all of these systems in place, at least the potholes in our path cause only small bumps in the road and not flat tires that take us off the road completely.

Follow Erin H. on Twitter @BTDTMom

4 oranges: 2 juiced, 2 halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1/2 C sugar

1/4 C brandy

1 bottle chilled dry red wine like Pinot Noir (or use a rose, it’s all the rage right now!)

2 lemons, thinly sliced

2 C seltzer or club soda, chilled (use flavored seltzer if you like)

ice cubes for serving

In a large pitcher, combine orange juice, sugar and brandy. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add wine, orange and lemon slices and seltzer; stir to combine. Serve Chilled over ice.

Recipe is from Everyday Food August 2005.