Our 2013 Las Vegas Retreat

This past weekend, I had the chance to go to our Power of Moms Retreat in Las Vegas. During one of the discussion groups, I slipped out to take this photo:

It was such a beautiful home, and I felt privileged to be there.  (Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Dyana!)

Before I go any further, however, I need to explain that my life isn't just one happy Retreat after the next.   I do love these amazing events, and often times writing up a "Retreat Report" is what gets me to post on this blog, but 99% of the time, I'm just doing my best to keep my head above water.  (Just wanted to be clear!)

This week, in particular, I have had such a bad case of Post-Retreat Let-Down Syndrome (that was even the topic of Monday's radio show with Saren).  And with all the worry and mourning over the Boston Marathon tragedy, I haven't even had the heart to write.

But today, even though I didn't shower until 5 pm and I kind of had a meltdown in front of Alia during a stressful moment, I wanted to share a little with you about this Retreat.  It was wonderful, and I hope you can come to one soon!

On the drive there, my new friend Briana Johnson and I recorded this video together where we talked about what we were hoping to get out of the Retreat:

We had a four-hour drive, a fun morning together in Las Vegas (even got to take a nap!), and then we picked up Tiffany Sowby at the airport.  I can't tell you how glad I was to have Tiffany and Briana there with me.  They are so fun and so sincerely interested in helping other moms.  I loved our time together.

This is me and Tiffany right before the Friday night event started:

Greeting everyone is one of my favorite parts of the Retreat.  (I try not to hug anyone who looks afraid of me, but typically everyone is so nice and hugs me right back.)

New friends:

Friday night we had our "Dream Night" where we got to talk about what a privilege it is to dream--and then we had a series of discussion groups where we talked about making our dreams into reality.  I have a TON of notes from that night. Amazing, inspiring women were sharing their tips and tricks (and heartaches), and I left with a whole list of resources I need to look into.

(I didn't take many photos Friday night, but I did take a lot on Saturday, so I'll just briefly walk you through them below.)

Part of our Retreats consist of prepared presentations:

And then we break into discussion groups (which is my favorite part):

I love the power of deliberate mothers.  These women are phenomenal.

This is Jonelle Hughes.  She and Cheryl Cardall made this Retreat happen.  They took care of all the details "on the ground" and helped present, as well.  It was wonderful to meet Jonelle for the first time and see Cheryl again.

Jonelle shared this brilliant idea of a "Contentment Basket."  She fills a basket with things that really strengthen her throughout the day--like books, a creative project, an exercise DVD, and even little symbols that remind her of who she wants to be and how she wants to care for herself.  She carries this basket with her, occasionally, as she moves around the house.

We all loved that idea.

Jonelle used to be a doula, and she said that when mothers in labor would say, "I can't do this anymore.  I have to give up!"  that really meant, "I need support."

I mentioned that to Alia today, and she said, "Then Mom, can you just tell me when you need support instead of crying all the time?"  (I don't cry all the time, but I admit I should cry less . . .)

Here's our panel with Jonelle, Dyana (our hostess), Shannon Brown, and Cheryl Cardall (led by Tiffany):

And more discussions:

Cheryl's husband was kind enough to deliver the lunch (so I snapped a quick photo of the two of them together).

We extend a HUGE thank you to Marcus and Tina Stewart, who own the Great Harvest at 6475 N. Decatur Blvd. in Las Vegas.  They sponsored the lunch for our Retreat (thereby helping us keep costs down and bring more moms to the Retreat at a discounted rate), and the food was absolutely delicious!  

If you ever need a great lunch in Las Vegas, this is the place!

Dawn (center) was one of our participants who had a dream of becoming a Zumba instructor.  So during our Saturday session, she led us in a 3-minute workout.  So cute!

We all agreed that we would definitely take classes from her, if she were in our area.

We had lots more discussion time:

And I know this is a silly-looking picture, but I demonstrated how I wear my "Angry Hat" that when I am upset with my children and need them to know it isn't their fault (because sometime mom just feels "angry").  I have a whole post on that at Power of Moms.

Tiffany talked about this "Above and Beyond" list from which her children can pick extra jobs to do:

 

I have this dream of creating a whole series of Power of Moms t-shirts (our first one is in the works right now).  This is a little sample of a shirt I want every mom to have (but it will be much nicer and won't use an iron-on).

This is a video of some of my closing words at the Retreat (in case you'd like to see a little snippet):

For part of the Retreat, we split into groups based on ages of children.  It was great to see such in-depth conversations taking place:

We also gave everyone a little time to write down the main thoughts they wanted to take away from the day:

This is Jessee, and we're going to record a podcast together (don't forget to email me, Jessee!).  Her children are both under three, so some of the ideas we discussed will need to wait until her children are a bit older, but she said, "I don't want to wait until I'm in the middle of a crisis before I learn how to run my home and family.  I want to learn now while my children are young."  I think that is FABULOUS.

This is a photo of Tiffany, Dyana, Aleesha (Dyana's sister who flew into town to help with everything), and me.  I love these ladies.  They are truly deliberate mothers who have gone through a lot of hard things--but they care deeply about their families and they live their lives with purpose, doing whatever they can to help others.

Here's our group photo:

At the end of each Retreat, I'm always sad to say goodbye.  I do feel a bit relieved, and I am always excited to get home to my family, but there's something bittersweet about knowing you'll never be in the same room again with that exact group of women.  I just consider these Retreats a special gift.

Our May 4th Park City Retreat is the last one I am going to attend for awhile (so I can spend more time with my mom), and Tiffany is doing a Dallas Retreat May 18th.  If there's any way you can attend one of these, please do.  I know you'll love it.

Much love,
April

 

Why We Gather (and why we want you to come to Las Vegas this weekend!)

I'm getting ready for our Las Vegas Power of Moms Retreat this weekend.  It is going to be an incredible event, and every time I see a registration come in, my stomach jumps a little as I think about each deliberate mother I get to meet.

My feelings are a little bittersweet, though, because I've decided to cut back on the number of Retreats I attend in order to spend more time with my mom.  This one in Las Vegas and our May 4th Retreat in Park City may be my last for awhile.  (But you never know, things could change!  I'm just going to make sure I enjoy every minute of it.)

Planning this Retreat has really got me thinking about why we gather.

Why do moms need each other? What is it about these in-person experiences that changes us and strengthens our lives?

The best answer that I can come up with is that when we gather together, face to face, we expand our ability to influence and our ability to be influenced.  

When we're in our homes, typing on our computers or making spaghetti or unhooking the ping-pong net from the dining room table, we get caught up in our own little imperfect worlds.  So much of our motherhood lives is full of the same routines, the same frustrations, and the same insecurities holding us back.

But when we get together, we realize that all the long hours and hard work we invest in our families is actually quite magnificent.  We'll share a small idea that's helped us, and we get to see others' faces light up as they realize that our "small idea" will do wonders for their own families.

We get to hear about other moms living courageously and stretching their abilities, and we think, "Maybe, just maybe, I could do that, too."

Somehow, when we step out from behind our computers, do our hair and make-up, put on some nice clothes (nothing fancy necessary!), and sit side-by-side with other moms who really care about motherhood, we open ourselves up to great ideas and we recognize the fact that our motherhood skill set is nothing short of incredible.

I'm getting more excited every second.

Part of the gathering we're having in Las Vegas includes a special "Dreaming Night" this Friday--where we'll have a couple of brief speakers, lots of tasty snacks, and powerful, facilitated small-group discussions focused on helping mothers inspire one another to dream.

We held an event similar to this in January, and the wonderfully talented Macy Robison photographed it for us.

I thought I'd post a few of her photos here to help explain a bit more about what we do. (Because someone who doesn't know us might look at an event like this and wonder if we're all a bunch of crazy people.  Oh, I hope no one thinks that.)

We start out with low-key mingling.  We give the attendees suggested questions to discuss (related to the topic of the night), and everyone just gets to say hi.  Lots of smiles.  No judging.  Just a bunch of moms making new friends.

The "buzz" in the room is always neat to watch.  No matter how shy or nervous you (or I) might be at first, within moments, we all feel welcomed into the group. 

At our first "Evening of Inspiration"/Dreaming Night, we were privileged to hear from Whitney Johnson, author of Dare, Dream, Do.  She spoke about how it is our privilege and responsibility to dream.   I just LOVE her.

This is me.  I always get nervous before I speak because I don't want anyone to think that I think I know everything, but I'm hopeful that the ideas I share will be helpful to others.  It's SO much different to speak to a live audience than to sit here in my kitchen typing away while I'm wearing my polka-dotted pajamas.  (Maybe we need to have Power of Moms PAJAMA parties!)

This is Saren, my co-director at Power of Moms.  She's like a big sister to all of us in the Power of Moms community.  As the oldest of nine children, she learned at an early age how to organize groups of people and help them to accomplish some pretty great things.  That's what she does for us with all these Retreats, workshops and get-togethers.  Every time we hold one of these events, we're building on her dream.

Aren't these lovely ladies?  The biggest regret I have from this last "Dream Night" was not having enough time to talk one-on-one with each of the moms there.  We email, read each other's blogs, and share SO MUCH of the same highs and lows in our lives, but our time together in person seems to evaporate way too quickly.

The very best part of our evening events is when we break into small groups and just get the chance to talk with each other.  Tiffany, on the right, will be there this Friday and Saturday with me in Las Vegas.  If you haven't met her yet, you'll really want to.  Down-to-earth, funny, thoughtful, deliberate, optimistic, organized, smart . . . so glad I know her.

Here's a snapshot of the group discussions.  I wish I could jump into this picture and hear what they're talking about.

Here are Monica and Dawn (and sorry I don't know the mom on the right!).  Monica has been to several of our Retreats (Monica, are you coming this weekend?), and Dawn is on our board (she's the one who helped me totally get over all my body issues).  Love these women.

My friend Suzanne came and brought her DARLING newborn.  If I ever get a free moment at one of our Power of Moms events, I do whatever I can to borrow a baby for a few minutes.  I MISS this!  (But I do love sleeping all night . . .)

This is Macy Robison, Chrislyn Woolston, DeAnne Flynn, and Me.  It's so fun to spend time with friends.

At this particular event, we also got to hear a closing keynote from Saren's mom, Linda Eyre.  I admire her so much.  She is one of the first women who ever encouraged me to pursue my dreams.  She makes you feel like a million bucks and is so humble about all of her accomplishments.  Can't wait to see her in May.  (The Park City Retreat is at her house!)

All right, I think that's a pretty good walk through our event.  Let me know if you have any questions, okay?

If there's any chance you can join us in Las Vegas, please do.  (I even have a little room in my car if anyone else wants to drive up from Southern California.)  It's open to mothers of all religions, family size, background, age, etc., and we're even willing to work with you on price if you're having a difficult time right now.

Click here for the information page of the Las Vegas Power of Moms Retreat.

For those of you who have already registered, I can't wait to meet in person.  Please don't be nervous, okay?  And if you have a meltdown while you're getting ready to go this week, don't worry about that, either.  It's totally normal.

Love,
April