DC Metro Moms is Closing… Sniff
It’s with a heavy heart… and SHOCK that I write
that DC Metro Moms is closing… for now.
We’ll continue in some capacity, we’re already working on it.
I love the women I’ve met throughout my time as a contributor
to DC Metro Moms.
And I thank DC Metro Moms for teaching me about online communities and social media. I’m shocked and saddened, and I’m also taking this as a life lesson and business lesson. I realize that social media and blogging communities take A TON more work than people think…
I’m keeping my eyes and ears open… and my heart open as we, DC Metro Mom contributors, go forward to stay together and work together- to keep moms and dads connected…
In the Nation’s Capital.
Graco and DC Metro Moms Donate 3 Car Seats to Fallen Officer’s Widow Expecting Triplets
It was my pleasure, on behalf of Graco and DC Metro Moms, to give the Montgomery County Police 3 brand new Graco car seats for Melissa Ayala, widow of Officer Hector Ayala, who died in the line of duty in April.
A Police Officer, who was also a dear friend of Hector Ayala, came to my home to pick them up and he also gave me some information to tell everyone in our community and beyond.
Melissa is doing as well as can be expected, and will most likely give birth this week. She and the babies are healthy, although she is in pain and discomfort (but we all know as mothers, that being pregnant with triplets cannot be easy).
I also learned that the gender of the babies is unknown, it’s been too hard to tell…
Yeah, I know. I swallowed hard learning that. Not only is this woman giving birth to triplets IMMINENTLY- without her husband- she doesn’t know any of their genders…
The Officer added that she is receiving baby stuff right now but he worries,
“When they’re 6 months…”
“When they’re 1…”
“When they’re 2…”
Okay. So this is tough…
THIS IS WHAT WE CAN DO RIGHT NOW.
- Melissa already has a 14 month old son, so she does have some boy stuff.
SHE HAS NO GIRL STUFF OR CLOTHES. We’ll know this week if she needs any girl stuff. I’ll let you know.
- If you have any baby or toddler toys, accessories, clothes, etc. that you were planning to give away, please consider putting them away for now, and giving them to the Ayala family.
- Please leave a comment if you want to be informed and/or involved in helping with donations to Mrs. Ayala and her triplets, and her son. I will save everyone’s email and periodically ask for specific things that she needs. The Montgomery County Police are contacting me when she has a need for something.
Also, if you have any contacts or relationships with companies that may be willing to donate their products to the triplets, please leave a comment and let me know.
Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers for the triplets, they have been passed on and it is a great comfort that the brand new car seats are ready for them. They will be safe when they are taken home from the hospital.
This all came to pass basically through tweets; our online community is strong. Let’s use our community to continue to help this mother.
Thank You for your kindness.
About My Fabulous Bag At The DC SVMoms BitDefender Blogger/Brand Event (and where to get it)
Filed under: Around DC, The Cool in Everyday Life, dc metro moms
Courtesy of The Preppy Pink Pony
Like I said in my last post, I had a super duper wonderful time at the blogger event at the Ritz on Sunday.
So many people wished me a Happy Birthday, it was truly lovely!
Almost as many people asked me about my bag… and where to get it…
(Let’s be clear, I just love this bag. I am not getting compensated for this, in fact, I just went back to this store yesterday and bought 2 more bags (sshhh- for presents.))
You can get your very own super cool, everyone-will-ask-you-where-you-got-it-bag at The Preppy Pink Pony in McLean, VA, on Chain Bridge Road.
YOU CAN ALSO CUSTOM ORDER YOUR BAG ONLINE.
Here’s my Bag-
As you can see, you can also get these bags with a shoulder strap, like mine.
The Preppy Pink Pony has lots of other bags, and purses, and jewelry, and baby gifts, and belts, and everything else! The owner is Virginia, and she’s incredibly gracious and helpful!
These bags are handmade in Thailand and are helping women in specific villages make a better living for themselves and their families…
MOM POWER!!
… You’re Welcome, 
Wowwy KaZowy-The DC SVMoms Blogger-Brand Symposium
courtesy of Sue at MotherhoodandMe.com!
Wowwy KaZowy! I had a BLAST at the SVMoms Blogger- Brand Symposium at the Ritz Yesterday!!!!!
Got to meet fabulous new bloggers, actually had meaningful conversations with bloggers I know, got great swag-
and best of all- got to ring in the START of my 40’s with wonderful women (and a few men)!
That’s me on the far left with my head turned toward the speakers!
GIRL POWER!
Thank you to everyone for singing Happy Birthday to me!
Love You Gals!
xoxoxoxo
I Had Poop Under My Nails Too…
Being a mom to a baby,
and even harder sometimes- a toddler, can be tough.
Rewarding, but tough.
You get the snuggles,
the baby fat rolls,
the mama-unconditional-I-need-you-stuff,
that you don’t always get being the mom of a 6-year-old.
But you also get the I-can’t-leave-the-room-for-a-minute, blow your nose, and diaper disaster stuff.
You don’t always shower (shhh… it’s okay) and sometimes you’re in sweats…
And sometimes, just when you think you are getting-it-all-together,
you find out you’ve been walking around all day with Cheerios stuck to your butt…
But it’s okay, because at least you didn’t find poop under your fingernails… like I did…
Look At My Shoes!
Filed under: Around DC, The Cool in Everyday Life, dc metro moms
Go Look At My Shoes-
On Jodifur,
It’s Always Shoe Friday at Jodifur!
How To Get Exactly What You Want
Ahhh, a question for the ages…
How do you get what you want?
Well I’m here to tell you! But, first of all-
this does not apply to ‘world peace’… ‘a cure for cancer’… ‘to end homelessness’… ‘I want a pony’… well, maybe the last one.
All those ‘wants’ are great. I want world peace too. I want a cancer-free world too. I want everyone to have a home too…
But we all gotta start somewhere… ‘Start Small- End Big’, I always say. So let’s master how to get exactly what we want in terms of the ’small stuff’, then we can go from there. After all, if you have little things… and little ones, around you that make you happy- you’re going to be a better mom and person and you’ll be happier…
Happier? A Better Person, you may say? Yes. And here’s how to do it-
I am revealing an age-old philosophy… a formula… a system of beliefs, if you will.
Have you read The Secret? Yes, so have I…
Click Here to Continue Reading This At DC Metro Moms…
Helping Police Widow Expecting Triplets
Less than a month ago I wrote this post about a mother who is now a widow.
Melissa Ayala lost her husband, a Montgomery County Police Officer, last month and is expecting triplets next month.
She has now registered at Buy Buy Baby.
And you can view her registry directly here.
The wonderful people at Graco are donating
3 car seats to Melissa for her triplets
on behalf of Graco and DC Metro Moms!
Let’s work together to help this mom out,
Please consider getting her something from her registry.
Peace.
Mom! Can I Have A Urinal ?!
We recently went out to dinner… that’s not uncommon. I had to excuse myself to go to the restroom, and my son announced that he had to go too… that’s not uncommon.
We each finished our business and were washing our hands and my son said,
“I really like those stand-up toilets. You guys (irony, maybe?) don’t have them in here.”
I told him that stand-up toilets, or rather urinals, were just in men’s bathrooms (and he didn’t ask me why… yey).
So he decided right then and there, that ‘he was going to have Dad take him to the bathroom from now on.’
Yey Again! Cool! My husband and I don’t have to give each other the look when we are seated, ready to eat, and our son says he has to go to the bathroom! It’s all him now! Our little guy has become a Big Guy and he wants to use stand-up toilets! Hurray!
So none of this is all that uncommon… until we got home,
and my son asked in a very sweet voice, as I’m tucking him into bed,
“Mom, can I have a urinal?… Can we get a urinal when we put an addition on our house?”
Click Here to Continue Reading at DC Metro Moms…
Montgomery County Police Officer Dead; Widow is Expecting Triplets in June and Has a 14-month-old son
Last Friday I headed to Home Depot for track lighting. My son was happy, at camp.
Traffic was stopped at the big intersection of Georgia and Connecticut Avenues.
‘What could be happening?’ I thought…
And then I saw a Huge Motorcade of Police Motorcycles, and then Police Cars… I’ve never seen a Funeral Motorcade that long, and unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of funeral motorcades.
‘O God, it’s a Cop.’ I thought.
It was a police officer’s funeral procession. It was the funeral procession for Hector Ayala, who died in a car crash while responding to a fellow officer’s call for assistance for a fight in progress…
…on Easter Morning.
I learned later that day that Sergeant Ayala’s widow, Melissa, has a 14-month-old son,
and is expecting triplets… in June.
And then I thought about her,
and it knocked the wind out of me. It was like I had been punched, but no one was there. I had trouble breathing for a moment, and then had to take a few, slow, deep breaths.
Click Here to Continue Reading at DC Metro Moms…
BananaBlueberry Readers:
**You can donate to the ‘Ayala Family Fund’-
Melissa, Hector Jr., and the soon-to-be-coming triplets,
By sending a check to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund (MCLEORF).
Checks should be made payable to MCLEORF. Please list “Ayala Family” in the memo line of the check. Send to:
MCLEORF
c/o: FOP Lodge 35
18512 Office Park Drive
Montgomery Village, MD 20886
Or go to this link- Ayala Family Donation.
Please Consider Donating…
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