Category Archives: Moms

May 5, 2021 · 3:34 pm

Ideas for Mother’s Day Celebrations Around the DC Area

With my “babies” last Mother’s Day at Wye Island NMRA

Mother’s Day is an occasion worth making extra special plans for (in my totally unbiased opinion 😉). This round-up has ideas to help make it a great one for all of the honorees — and to help the rest of the fam plan it. With recommendations that range from fairly mellow to very active, totally free to a total splurge, there’s sure to be something to make every mom’s day. (And make sure she gets some “me” time, too.) Happy Mother’s Day!

Walk in the Woods
Where: Around the DC area
When: Ongoing
Admission: Varies by locale
Take a hike to enjoy the day. See flowers in bloom, tramp in places with scenic views, walk and explore history at interesting locales, and enjoy a day of active fun. Bring along a picnic for lunch al fresco, too.
Huntley Meadows – The park in Alexandria has an easy, very scenic loop through woods and wetlands.
Riverbend Park to Great Falls – The hike is a particular favorite for a special day, though parking can fill up fast, so go early and have a Plan B just in case.
Patapsco Valley State Park – It’s huge with a great variety of hiking trails, including one to waterfalls, lots of nice picnic spots, and more opportunities for active recreation.
Pohick Bay Regional Park and Fountainhead Regional Park – Both parks in Lorton, VA, have good hiking trails as well as paddling rentals.
Wye Island NRMA – Last Mother’s Day we enjoyed a beautiful hike at this spot on the Eastern Shore. (KFDC tip: Pair it with a crab feast while you’re out there.)
Harpers Ferry – The charming historic town and great hiking makes it a perfect day trip destination for a celebration.
This go-to KFDC post has even more suggestions for great hikes with the fam.

Hike & Sip
Where: A couple of DMV locales
When: Ongoing
Admission: Varies
Like the suggestion above, but elevated with a post-hike visit to a family-friendly winery or restaurant. Two outings I recommend for this: Hit the trail at Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane, VA, then go to the nearby Barrel Oak Winery.
The Sugarloaf Mountain hike/The Comus Inn combo in Dickerson, MD, also makes for a fab day, or enjoy sips and small bites at Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard right down the road after your walk in the woods.

Strawberry Fields
Where: Farms around the DC area
When: Ongoing
Admission: Varies by location
Enjoy the day outdoors gathering fresh strawberries. The pick-your-own season has begun with at least one area farm welcoming visitors to their strawberry fields, and more may open by Sunday. See this post for details on where you can harvest your own fruits and veggies, several offering much more than just picking.

Do Some Garden-ing
Where: Around the DC area
When: Ongoing
Admission: Varies by locale
Instead of bringing flowers to mom, take her to them instead! With the bloom season upon us, and landscapes bursting with color, a visit to a garden makes for a lovely outing, especially when there’s often more to do than see the plants and flowers. Explore, play, and see the amazing azalea bloom at the National Arboretum. Stop and smell the roses (and more) and see the rest of the beautiful grounds at Brookside Gardens. Wander around Green Spring Gardens on a scavenger hunt. Venture out to the gorgeous Meadowlark Botanical Garden. You can bring along a picnic to many of these places and make it a whole day’s outing.

A (Crab) Feast Fit for a Queen
Where: Eastern Shore, MD
When: Ongoing
Admission: Depends on how much you order!
This is how we like to celebrate. The start of blue crab season is perfect timing for the special day, and you really can’t beat a feast of the steamed Old Bay-spiced treats at a waterfront crab house on a nice day. Cantler’s in Annapolis is an institution, and Mike’s Crab House in Riva is also popular with delicious crabs, gorgeous scenery, and a great outdoor tiki bar waiting area if tables aren’t immediately available. We’ve had a couple of super Mother’s Day celebrations at Kentmorr’s restaurant and beach scene. Keep it closer to home (but forego the waterfront) at Quarterdeck, Ivy City Smokehouse, and Bethesda Crab House. Wherever you go, make reservations, because special occasion days guarantee crowds. You can also pick up crabs from from The Fish Market at The Wharf and enjoy feast at home — get them already steamed or still alive and DIY. (And, FYI, all of the above recommendations are based on first-hand experience!)

Mother’s Day on the Patuxent
Where: Solomons Island, MD
When: Mother’s Day weekend (or anytime)
Admission: Rates vary by boat & time
This was an excellent way we celebrated Mother’s Day with friends awhile back. A pontoon boat outing on the Patuxent River was a super fun and relaxing time for all. Pack a cooler, don the swimsuits, slather on sunscreen, and get ready for a fantastic day on the water. Afterwards, treat yourselves to ice cream on Solomon’s Island or even stay for dinner at one of the many waterside restaurants there.

Go with the Flow
Where: Around the DC area
When: Ongoing
Admission: Varies by locale
For other Mother’s Day adventures on the water, a bunch of places around the area rent kayaks, canoes, rowboats, and stand up paddleboards. Fletcher’s Boathouse is a popular place to go and has a great riverside area to hang out and picnic when you’re off the water. We spent a wonderful Mother’s Day a few years ago at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis — with lots of options for outdoor recreation along with paddling, it’s particularly awesome. This post has a round-up of even more places to navigate the local waterways.

Get in the Frame with a Motherhood Mini Session

Where: Pop-up Studio at Three Littles | Northeast DC
When: Mother’s Day, sessions from 11am-6pm
Admission: $99 to reserve your mini sessions time

Alex Friendly is passionate about getting mothers in the picture, which is why she’s offering these Motherhood Mini Sessions. Mothers are so often the ones who take all the pictures, but these casual mini sessions make capturing images with your kids as easy and stress-free as possible. There won’t be any pressure to be perfect, to figure out how to get your kids to sit still, to plan the matching outfits. Just come as you are, wearing the kind of comfortable clothes that make you feel happy while playing on the floor together. She’ll capture the joys of motherhood and celebrate everything that you overcame this past year. Each session is 10-15 minutes with 10-15 final images available for purchase starting at $225, which means you only buy the images you actually want. To find out more, check out Alex’s Booking Guide or book your session directly by clicking here.

A few more good (related) things:
* Washingtonian has some really good suggestions for the weekend, too.
* Eater DC’s running guide to Mother’s Day brunch, sweets, and dinner specials.
* This book that you can purchase from Steadfast Supply.

Giveaway! Introducing “Time 4 Mom,” a New Subscription Box & Online Community for Busy Moms

I think it goes without saying that it’s an exceptionally busy time for most moms right now. The pandemic has added a whole new layer of responsibility, activity, and stress to parenting — and to life, in general — that we often forget to take time for ourselves.

This is just what motivated Tracey Coates, a family lawyer, host of the podcast The Tracey Coates Show, and mom of two children to launch Time 4 Mom. The monthly curated subscription box and online community for busy moms was created to inspire personal growth, self-care, and a little bit of me-time.

“As a busy mom of two very active kids, a wife, a daughter, sister and friend, I’ve constantly got a dozen balls in the air trying to juggle motherhood, my family law practice, my marriage, and my podcast,” says Tracey. “Trying to make time for me often falls miserably by the wayside. I realize that we moms can’t be everything to everyone all of the time, and we’ve got to start prioritizing ourselves and stop landing last on our endless “to-do” lists, which is why I created Time 4 Mom.”

What’s unique about Time 4 Mom is that subscribers get more than the monthly subscription offerings. In addition to receiving a fun box of thoughtfully curated goodies each month, subscribers are invited to join a private Facebook community to connect with other amazing Moms, enjoy periodic book club meetings to spark meaningful conversations, and participate in monthly virtual trainings to inspire personal growth (starting January 2021).

October’s box is focused on the theme of refresh and recharge and includes products related to finding time for yourself and filling a need for self-care during the pandemic. One item inside is a copy of the month’s book club selection, Nicole Lapin’s Becoming Super Woman, a simple 12-step plan to go from burnout to balance.

In upcoming months, Time 4 Mom will focus on stress, health, mindset, relationships, parenting, and more. Download a free Time 4 Mom Self-Care & Time Management Bundle here.

Want to learn more about Time 4 Mom? Check out the website, follow along on Facebook and Instagram, and enter the giveaway below for a chance to win the October box for yourself!

* * * * *Giveaway: Two (2) KFDC readers can win a complimentary box from Time 4 Mom! Want a chance to win? Simply leave a comment below telling me your favorite self-care activity. The contest is open to new subscribers only, and by entering you give permission to share your email with Time 4 Mom. This giveaway will run through Sunday, October 18, 2020, then two (2) winners will be drawn at random and notified shortly thereafter. Good luck!

This post is sponsored by Time 4 Mom, however, I only promote services, programs, and products that I genuinely believe in and think would appeal to KFDC readers.

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Filed under 2020, DC, Giveaway, Moms, Professional Service

Tagged as Community for Moms, Self Care for Moms, Subscription Box for Moms, Time 4 Mom, Tracey Coates

August 17, 2020 · 10:38 am

Dresses Under $25 Perfect for Hanging at Home

This isn’t a usual KFDC post, but it was inspired out of… frustration. Over a trivial matter, but frustration nonetheless. I don’t know what kinds of ads pop up in other people’s social media feeds, but I often see them for very cute, comfy looking dresses from brands I’m not familiar with. This is where I give social media credit for knowing me — lately, that is exactly the kind of apparel I like to wear between the workout clothes I keep on most of the day and the pajamas I put on before bed. They are easy to throw on, relaxed for hanging out in at home, breezy on an evening walk, and cute for a possible socially distanced back (or front) yard hang with friends.

What social media apparently hasn’t figured out about me is that I will not pay an obscene amount of money for said apparel. And that’s where the frustration comes in. I click through these ads, excited about the perfect dress, only to find it costs a ridiculous amount of money, especially considering the world’s current circumstances.

Thus, this post. I figured I can’t be the only one experiencing this frustration, so I scoured some lower budget brands — of which I’m quite familiar — and found dresses, all under $25, that I think are perfect for right now. These are not sponsored, just a round-up that helped ease my frustration and, possibly, others’ as well. Happy shopping — and dress wearing!

Gap Factory | V-Neck Midi Dress | $16.97-21.97

Old Navy | Sleeveless V-Neck Maxi Shift Dress | $15

Old Navy | Sleeveless Jersey Swing Dress | $17

Zara | Basic Dress TRF | $19.90

Target | Sleeveless Knit Dress | $22.99

Target | Short Sleeve T-Shirt Dress | $20

H&M | Long Sleeve A-Line Dress | $24.99

H&M | Calf-length Dress | $19.99

H&M | Crinkled Cotton Dress | $24.99

H&M | V-Neck Dress | $24.99

H&M | Flounced Kaftan | $19.99

H&M | Sleeveless Jersey Dress | $17.99

Banana Republic Outlet | Knit T-Shirt Dress | $19.99

Amazon | AKEWEI Summer Maxi Dress | $18.98-22.98

Lole | Luisa Tank Dress | $20.70

(Note: This isn’t really a budget brand, but the dress is on sale and really cute and comfy — I have in black – and great for right now.)

1 Comment

Filed under 2020, Moms, Shop, Summer

Tagged as Comfortable Dresses, Gap Factory Dress, H&M Dress, Inexpensive Dresses for Women, Lole Dress, Old Navy Dress, Summer Apparel, Summer Dresses Under $25, Target Dress

May 10, 2020 · 8:29 am

Five Things for Mother’s Day: May 10, 2020

🌷This one is especially for the moms. Happy Mother’s Day!🌷

1. The second season of Dead to Me is now out on Netflix — I’m a few episodes in, and so far really good!

2. Treat yo’ self: The Mom Edit’s Weekly Sales Report is a good place to start.

3. A Mother’s Day book rec: Nobody Will Tell You This But Me is a woman’s memoir as told to her granddaughter (I’m currently reading and really enjoying it). A couple of other recs: I recently read Amy Schumer’s The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, which was hilarious and raunchy and poignant all at once. Next on my to-read list is Writers & Lovers, the new Lily King novel.

4. Quick links to some good Amazon purchases (or inspiration for them) that might come in handy right now: This, this, this, this, and this.

5. A Mother’s Day chuckle.

🌺 ☕️ ☀️ 🍷 💜If you enjoyed this post — found it informative, inspiring, or it just made you smile — please share!

Ideas for Mother’s Day Celebrations During this Social Distancing Time

Just hatched duckings at the Reflecting Pool, perfect timing for Mother’s Day week

Mother’s Day might be a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less special. If you’re looking for ways to celebrate while keeping social distancing in mind, here are some ideas.

A Feast Fit for a Queen
You can’t take mom out for Mother’s Day brunch, but you can do a good take-out. These local restaurants all have special to-go menus just for the day, some even available for delivery (follow links for details on both menus and ordering deadlines):
* Masseria
* Joselito
* Zaytinya
* Bistro Bis
* Clyde’s
* Belga Cafe
* Joe’s Seafood
* Get other Mother’s Day restaurant recs here and here.
* Find more places offering takeout and delivery brunch here and others where you can get fancy takeout here.
* We usually celebrate the day with some Eastern Shore area recreation followed by a crab feast by the Bay. While we may not be able to enjoy the waterfront setting this year, we can still savor a bushel at home. Eater DC has a round-up of places offering crab takeout and delivery.

Homemade with Love
For those executing the celebration… cook for mom at home! A meal doesn’t have to come from a restaurant for it to be special, and the effort in the kitchen may just make it even more so. If you need ideas for DIY Mother’s Day menus, here are some good resources:
* Smitten Kitchen has some yummy sounding brunch and lunch dishes.
* Get all kinds of Mother’s Day cooking ideas from Bon Appétit.
* You can always rely on NY Times Cooking for great recipes, and their Mother’s Day section proves that.

Breakfast in Bed Kit
For something done at home, but with help getting the “ingredients”… The Lane Social Club has created a Mother’s Day in the Bag kit just for the day. It has everything you need to make mom feel appreciated and happy, all in one place — and it’s perfect for making last-minute look thoughtful! The kit includes champagne, orange juice, frozen croissants (yep, you can “bake” them and really impress her), vanilla Greek yogurt, granola, the just-released (and perfect for right now!) signed copy of “Mommy Didn’t Say That,” and a Mother’s Day card your kiddo can color in.

Virtual Fun & Games
Every Mother’s Day for the last few years I’ve recommended Watson Adventures’ Wizard School Scavenger Hunt, the fun and unique activity that propels you on a search throughout the National Gallery of Art with Harry Potter-inspired clues. Obviously, that can’t take place at the museum this year, but you can join the fun virtually on Sundays at 5pm (and every Saturday in May at 2pm & 4pm) — cost is $60 for a team up to 4. Watson Adventures also hosts a Family Trivia Slam on Sundays at 1pm and 4pm (and Saturdays. We’ve done the Wizard School IRL (read about it here) and Trivia online a few weeks ago (read a bit about it here), and both were a blast!

Goddesses & Heroines Story Time
Something to incorporate into the day with kiddos: A story time that celebrates women! The Freer|Sackler Gallery has invited performance storyteller Xanthe Gresham-Knight to share stories from her forthcoming book Goddesses, in which stories from around the world celebrate female characters in ancient myths and legends — some are already famous, some ready to be rediscovered. This is recommended for children ages 6 and up with adult companions. And as a companion piece to the program, the museum has created a learning lab with artworks in the collection of inspirational female figures.

Walk in the Woods
Some outdoor time in the fresh air may be more appreciated than ever this year, and since getting out for a hike is permitted during stay-at-home orders, you can hit a local trail to celebrate the day. Get ideas for places to go — the post has been updated a bit to include COVID-19 info, and it doesn’t hurt to check websites or call ahead to confirm locations can still be accessed. (PS: I always feel compelled to note that it is best to stay at home as much as possible, but if you do go for a hike, be sure to practice safe social distancing, avoid touching things, and wash hands after!)

Music to Her Ears (and Eyes)
For moms who miss going to concerts, bring one to her home at home. Lots of artists have been live streaming shows lately, bringing a much needed lift to the spirits of many. Live Nation is presenting live streams from around the globe — check to see if any faves are playing this weekend (or any other time your fam is feeling up for live music).

At the Present Time
If you’re looking for ideas of gifts to give, how about supporting local businesses at the same time? This Washington Post article has a round-up of items to buy from local shops and artisans to help make mom’s day.

In the Cards
Get some inspiration for Mother’s Day cards from the place that hosts the best card making workshops, the National Postal Museum! They’ve posted a few online videos with creative ideas, with something for all ages (maybe with a little help from adults). View them here, here, and here.

With a Cherry Tree on Top
This Mother’s Day you can celebrate your mother, grandmother, or any special person in your life, with a gift that blooms each spring and supports the care and preservation of DC’s iconic cherry trees. The Endow a Cherry Tree Campaign offers a unique opportunity to endow one of the 3,700 cherry trees on the National Mall. It is special way to honor the important people in our lives and show social connection even while we practice physical distancing.

OG Mommas
If you’re looking for ways to celebrate your mom while you can’t see her, here are some ways to make the day special and be together virtually.