Merry Christmas - Happy Holidays!

From us here at Capitol Moms, Merry Christmas, happy holidays and have a fabulous holiday season.

We wish blessings to you and yours.

A neat find in DC - Dragonfly Design and Decor

One day while we were walking to the Whole Foods at 14 and P, NW. We stumbled upon a treasure in Washington, DC. Dragonfly Design and Decor. From the street, I saw something beautiful shimmering in the back of the warehouse. We went in manuevered around luxe Asian inspired prints and screens, decorative goodies, jade bracelets and other things that passed my vision on my way to the shimmer.

The shimmer was a fiery red silk kimono. No pictures were available, but let me tell you, the fabric felt so luxurious and smooth against my skin and reminded me of a treat that I hadn't indulged in since before the birth of my daughter. It was worth the journey in.

Nonetheless, they have a beautiful warehouse in DC and one soon to be opening in Fairfax on the 20th of January.

Their site is www.dragonflydd.com. and the DC location is at 1457 Church St. NW.

Loving Mama Love and Pasley Place Photography

A couple of weeks ago, my husband, daughter and I attended a gallery closing after reading an intriguing article in the City Paper. There we discovered Mama Love.

Soon to be a book featuring DC area mothers and their babies. The picture to the left is just one of the shots from the book. Beautiful, right?

Amazing how one picture really can be worth a thousand words. For more information and for details on how to get your own portraits with the Mama Love look, check out her site at http://pasleyplace.com

Just a note... a reminder

As the holiday shopping season blows in at full force, I wanted to post a bit about taking a breath and enjoying this season with its beautiful and suprisingly warm weather. We are so busy, hustling from store to store that it is so easy to miss the meaning of this season with its new birth and the start of a new season and a brand new year.

Find lovely products that let you treat yourself in a few spare minutes. What I am really enjoying right now is Vosges Haut Chocolates. I find them locally at the Curious Grape in Shirlington, but they have a beautiful site, www.vosgeschocolate.com with lovely blurbs about each chocolate. It's like taking a trip with each exotic bite. I adore the slightly sweet and salty taste of the Gogi Chocolate bar and the spicy heat of the Red Fire Bar. Try several and pick your favorite.

Miss Lucy Lion at Karibu Books in Bowie

Too cute!!! A Lion's Grocery List is a wonderful little treat that we discovered while at this year's Green Festival at Verizon Center.

A Lion's Grocery List is a music cd, made a local DC teacher, that uses unusual instruments and funky beats to reinforce educational concepts in young children.

My little one likes Ritmo Latino, but the title song is really cute too. Check them out a www.pqkids.com

Also, if you are in the Bowie area, go see Miss Lucy Lion in person at Karibu Books, Bowie Town Center
15624 Emerald Way, Bowie, MD on December 16, at 11:00 AM.

Messy Baby alert -- Chic and Clean Coverall to the rescue

If your little one is anything like mine, the "I can do it myself" phase is the messiest one yet. We spend more time picking up random bits of pasta sauce, gooey crushed Oreos and mushed up Cheerios off the floor, her clothes and out from under other unlikely places. Local Moms Michele and Jennifer have come up with a solution, the Chic and Clean coverall.

It is a snap closure coverall that will make cleaning up after a self-feeding adventure a snap. It is washable, comes in lots of fun colors and makes a neat present for any mom with little ones running about.

Check them out at http://chictots.com Also as a special bonus for Capitol Moms readers, they are overing 15% off and free shipping now through December 31. Just enter "capmoms" in the promotions/coupon code section to redeem your discount. While you are at their site, be sure to check out the slings and other goodies to be arriving soon.

Happy Holidays!!!

After a much needed semi-sabbatical, we at Capitol Moms are back and looking forward to a blessed holiday season and a fabulously new and event-filled year.

EVENT: The Kennedy Center's Multicultural Book Festival, November 4

On November 4, 2006, the Kennedy Center will be hosting their 11th Annual Multicultural Children's Book Festival, 12 noon - 5pm. The free event will be held on the roof terrace. The unique event will allow children to explore different cultures with Cantare' and Step Afrika!. There will illustration exhibits, live performances, visits from Dora, the Explorer and other children's book characters.

The event is bound to be lots of fun for the kids and parents alike. For more information, visit the Kennedy Center's website or click the link below. http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/bookfestival/

Precious little girl totes and a discount for Capitol Moms readers

Local DC Area mom Laura Reece has stumbled onto something fabulous. Heirloom quality products, beautiful embroidery and unique details make Laura's products at The Silken Thread something better than the ordinary.

While reading the site, I saw the most adorable little girl totes pictured to the right and a precious tooth fairy pillow that I cannot wait for Zenora to get to use (granted it will be a while, but the tote will be put to good use)

Check out the site at www.thesilkenthread.com and place "CAPITOLMOMS" in the comment box when placing an order and receive a 10% discount, how fun is that?

Gap Baby Casting Call

Everyone's a winner, but if you have a photogenic, little smiler, y'all may want to enter the new Gap Baby Casting Call sponsored by Kodak.

They are looking for a boy and girl. The winners receive a $5000 college savings bond, a one year's supply of clothing from Baby Gap and other goodies. But what I thought was cool that all entries get goodies, like free holiday photo cards and 15% off a $50 Baby Gap purchase. Check the site out at www.babygap.com

Connecting Moms... so much fun

There is this new online group that I want to share with y'all. It's called Connecting Moms. I've been a member for a few months now and I love the connections that I have made. I've met local moms, moms from my old hometown and enjoyed getting to know other people on my own time table.

What I also love about the group is meeting other mom-preneurs and getting motivation from other women like me, but there is so much more that I am still discovering like the raffles, the online-diary, mom-messages, raves and reviews of products. In a word, it rocks. Click on the link above or check out the website, www.connectingmoms.com

November is National Novel Writing Month

For a long time now, I have been considering myself as a freelance writer and as an aspiring, yet unpublished novelist, but as life has progressed, writing my own great American novel has become increasingly more difficult and since the birth of my daughter, my writing has dropped down to nill.

A little birdie dropped a challenge in my ear, November is National Novel Writing Month. It is a world-wide challenge to all of us wanna-be published authors that cannot seem to turn off their inner-editor and sometimes inner-critic. It a challenge to get that novel finished and have an online support network to help you along. While you're there, if you are so inclined, check out the programs that this group is involved in. You can join us at the National Novel Writing Month's website, www.nanowrimo.org

GIVEAWAY: Tickets to Babies"R"Us' Road to Motherhood Tour

Capitol Moms and Babies"R"Us are giving away complimentary passes to the local showings of the Road to Motherhood Tour sponsored by Babytalk, Carters, and Motherhood Maternity. This is a unique opportunity to see special exhibits on all things baby, everything from the conception to the informational seminars on breastfeeding, diapering and taking care of baby. Also there is a fabulous goodie bag filled with treats, coupons and gifts from the sponsors and along with a copy of Capitol Moms, first newsletter. For more information on the tour, visit
http://www4.toysrus.com/road2motherhood/index.cfm

To request your tickets, send an email to Capitol Moms at capitolmoms@yahoo.com with your name, email and a good mailing address.

See you there!

SPA WEEK!!!! October 16 - October 22

Sorry for the late notice ladies, this is DC Spa Week. Have you ever wanted to try some of the treatments at some of the most exclusive spas in the area? Well, here is your chance. Selected treatments are priced at a mere $50.

I think that every Mommy deserves a little down-time or "minutes" as we call them at my house. Check them out at http://www.spaweek.org

Red Envelope Halloween

I saw the most adorable pea in a pod costume in the recent Red Envelope catalog. I'm not even much of a Halloween person, but the costume was adorable.

As for Red Envelope itself, I love their products -- high quality, unique, easy shopping who could ask for more? Check out their site at the link above, or www.redenvelope.com

Motherwear launches a breastfeeding blog

Calling all breastfeeding mothers.... there is a new place to get support and great deals on breastfeeding supplies and wear. Motherwear. Motherwear has launched a new blog as a supplement to the advice and aids available through their site. Check it out at the link below.

http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com/

Tea and rainy day activities

How to gain at least five minutes of mommy-time: crayons and coloring sheets.

My years as a teacher have taught me several valuable lessons, the least of which is be prepared; it's always nice to have things on hand to do swift games, easy snacks and fun kid-friendly activities.

On these rainy, ify weather days, I whip out my craft bin and lay it out for the kids to play with. Celestial Seasonings has a cute link on their site. So on a rainy day, toss some crayons to the youngins' , sip a cup of tea and print out some coloring sheets for the kids.

http://www.celestialseasonings.com/justforfun/coloringbook/

SERVICES: Affordable counseling

In an area full of resources, it is good to take note of the resources available to families, parents and children. One such resource is the University of Maryland's Family Service Center. At the College Park campus, the University offers affordable, low-cost counseling and therapy to individuals, couples and families.

For more information, contact the Family Service Center at 301-405-2273.

EVENT: Adams Morgan Day, September 10

Join the revelry of the Adams Morgan Day Festival. It's bright. It's colorful. It's full of food and lots of goodies. There are ethnic vendors, two music stages and fun to be had for all.

It's Sunday afternoon from noon until 7:00pm at 18th street, NW between Columbia and Florida Road. Check the program out at the link below. http://www.adamsmorgandayfestival.com/2006program.html

UPDATE: Adams Morgan Day was a blast! There were vendors from around the world, unique craft goods and lots of delicious smells drifting through the air. Awesome. Some noteable vendors are Swanky Creations and Unsung Designers.

EVENT: Unsung Designers Anniversary Party

How cool is it to discover a new local designer? Well here's your chance to tap into the goodies and get that rush from several on Sunday, September 10, 2006 from noon to ?

There will be fashions by Gina Michele, Cinderloop and others. It is sure to be an experience.

For more information, call 202-234-1788. 2412 18th St, NW, rear door entrance.