BBB Message Boards Retreat?

[Rachels]

Hi, everyone. There has started to be some interest expressed in actually meeting in person one of these days, since we've become a close-knit community. (See the post asking about how Abigail is doing.) I thought I'd start a thread just about that so that people can weigh in on whether that's something we'd like to do at some point. Maybe a long weekend somewhere? What are your thoughts on where and at what time of year? Also, people have different ideas about whether kids should come, but my vote is yes. Or at least I think we should stay open to that. I know that I am not ready to leave Abigail, especially since I'm nursing full-time, and I know that other people have or will have tiny babies. But I can also appreciate that it would be a lot of fun to have some kid-less time together, too, so I was thinking maybe DHs could come and take kid duty at least part of the time. There are a lot of February babies due, I know, but maybe later in the spring or summer? Anybody up for this idea? Alan and Denise, join us!

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[kathsmom]

Rachel,

I think that this is a great idea for all of us to get together, as you already know from my previous post under the How is Abigail doing post. I agree that we should be open to kids and babies, as well as DHs. I have noticed quite few daddies on the boards lately, and would love to meet them and their spouses/partners. I was half kidding/half serious about leaving my family at home. I am just SO tired! I would love to meet all of you and your families. I feel like I know so much about you all already. I would also love to "show off" Katherine and Andrew, as well.

If we meet during the spring, maybe we could go someplace warm, but DO NOT head south in the summer! I live in Atlanta, GA and it can get mighty hot here during the summer months!! Maybe a mountain retreat for the summer time would be nice. A mountain retreat might be nice for the fall too so we could see the leaves change color, the only problem with the fall is that school is in session for those of us with older kids (but I am thinking of homeschooling again, so if I did, it would not be a problem!).

If we do have a big get-together, we need to plan it well enough in advance so that we can save money for travel expenses, hotel, food, etc. I don't know what other people's financial situation is, but DH and I would need some time to set aside some funds to pay for it. We try to do everything with cash if possible, and if not, we pay off our credit cards each month.

These are just a few of my suggestions. I look forward to hearing what others have to say!

Toni - mom to Katherine (5/19/96) and Andrew (9/23/02)

[twins r fun]

Sounds like a crazy time!!!! Can you imagine the hotel that get stuck with all of us!

I'd love to do it if I can keep the cost down. I can see going if the place is within driving distance, but I doubt I could swing it if I have to pay for 4 airline tickets. Maybe we should do a few different ones for different geographic regions. I realize you wouldn't be able to meet everyone that way, but depending on how everyone feels about driving/flying. it may be necessary.

Nicole

[mama2be]

Rachel count me in I would be very interested in it...

I'm drifting off in dream land thinking Key West, New Orleans, Napa Vally...Hilton Head, Charleston. I also have a fantastic traffic agent if we would her to start looking into something at some point.

[ddmarsh]

I post/read here rather infrequently and so would not be joining you, but just wanted to offer my experience with this. I was in a long-term mom's list that had get-togethers about once a year and we did it so that it was in a city where one of us lived and that person was sort of the "host." One night we would eat dinner at their house and they of course knew the area so they had outings, etc. planned for the days. Also it worked out that if someone was in need of a place to stay for free, one or two stayed with them and the rest of us bunked at a nearby inexpensive hotel. We didn't take kids when we did ours, but the ages of our kids was extrememly varied (newborns nursing were always brought along however) and normally no DH's participated. We always had a great deal of fun and it really made participating in the list alot more fun once we had gotten to know one another a bit more. One final suggestion is when you narrow down who is interested to make a list (there are a few sites where you can do this and make them private) and communicate on the details that way so that the info is not available here so publicly, for safety, etc. reasons.

Just my .02 -

Debbie

[KathyO]

I'm interested, although an actual commitment will have to wait for once we have a date and place. I think that the summer months are best, for the reasons you cite, but if we're going to do that, somewhere not too horrendously hot? Or maybe on the ocean, at least. Hmmm.....

Okay, we want somewhere that's a popular enough destination that it's not too expensive to travel to... somewhere that's going to be reasonably kid-friendly - pool, playgrounds and whatnot nearby... Somewhere that would (once we have our s*** together) offer us a group rate on accommodations... somewhere where gorgeous waitstaff in fetching little white togas would bring us drinks as we lounge in our deck chairs.... (oh, sorry, the mists of fantasy started to drift in there...)

Hey, Joanne - will getting married make it easier for you to cross the border? One advantage to having it in Canada would be how cheap hotels and all that would be for y'all Americans with your US dollars!!

:D

Let us continue to work on this...

Cheers,

KathyO

P.S. - I have visions of all of us wearing nametags with our "BBBoard Name" on them.

[jojo2324]

I would hope that getting married would make life more wonderful in every respect, except, of course, the fact that INS completely stinks! My ball is in their field and I feel like I am never going to get it back...But thanks for asking.

I live on the ocean, but this is the last place you want to be, especially in the summer...And not too gentle on the purse either. Hmmm. I would still like to be somewhere warm, but I suppose in the summer that would be just about everywhere. I would love to see San Fran, but anywhere is perfect. I feel like I haven't left NY in ages. (Well, it has been several years.) And while I dream of a small (okay, sometimes a permanent one too :P) vacation, I don't think I could leave my little boy. I told you about how someone took him off my hands for half an hour and I was quite beside myself without him.

Shawn is very amused by our goings-on here. He doesn't understand it at all. He's happy that I have found support, but I don't think he'd be too thrilled to be stuck in the middle of it all. I can just see it, all of us whooping it up and our mates standing around, hands in their pockets, mumbling, "So how many hours a day does your wife log on the computer? What's with that?" But I must say, Shawn is an excellent cook, so that could come in handy...And so are my mother and her husband who might be moving to Key West! Nothing like good food you had no part in preparing ;)

[newbelly2002]

Europe's always nice :) Just kidding.Easy on my pocketbook, but not everyone else's. What a great idea, Rachel.

I would love to participate. Being so alone over here, y'all have truly become the Mommies Group I'm still looking for. We will be back in New England (NH/Mass) in late July/early August. I'll put my vote in for that. I couldn't host because my family isn't there. Of course, maybe something up in the NH mountains? Loon is very kid-friendly and (so long as you're not skiing) not very hard on the purse.


Anyone else?

Paula

[mommychic]

I'd love to join in!!

I have a suggestion:

How about we plan something for the summertime and meet at Sesame Place in PA. I'm thinking it's easy for most of us on the east coast to drive to and it's a great place for the kids (how can we NOT bring them??) I know they have some basic motels in the area (sorry no Four Seasons :() But we might be able to get a group rate. Plus, I think the overall price of the outting will be rather inexpensive.

I think we should figure out where the majority of us are located and what would be the best location to meet. I know there are lots of from NY, DC, Boston, Virginia, and the Caroliners. PA isn't too far for us to travel to.

I'm just thinking a Theme Park would be fun and it's geared towards the babies since we are all brought together here by the babies.

Oh, I was also thinking Busch Gardens in VA, but thought the babies would like Elmo and Big Bird in PA much more!

Lisa

Oh, one more thought: I'm for including the DHs! They can hit the rides or shows while we hang out!! :)

[mama2be]

I have never been to the theme park but wanted to add I got married near there in Bucks County in New Hope PA (destintination wedding didn't know a person up there just loved it)...it is one of my favorite places on this earth (New Hope)...filled with bed and breakfast, good food, the Delaware river, antiques. It was a Jackie O hang out and an Andy Warhol hot spot...very trendy. We actually are getting Tristan baptised up there the week-end of our anniversary in Sept, but we would make it up there at anytime. There is also an AWESOME campsite across the Delaware from New Hope on the Delaware that is a state park for $10 a nite. We go almost every year with friends. Bucks County has a great visitors guide that they send for free. I think the theme park is in Bucks County and if not it is just one county over..

I vote DHs too...

[twins r fun]

I'm in if we do it here! Never been, but it sounds like a hit.

Nicole

[daisymommy]

OOOHHH-OOOHHH! Count me in! I'm always thinking how much nicer life would be if I had the support of good friends around like you gals! (even if I can't get online as often as I would like, I still feel like I know you all and your babies so well). I can't make a commitment right now--we'll have to see how the finances go, but when the details start coming together, I can let you know then. How fun!

I'm in VA, so PA would be close as well.

[mama2be]

Amy from the DC area this place is about 3 1/2 hours stright up 95, I am guessing about 1/2 an hour from the Philly airport...I don't know what part of VA you are in but when we "hop knobbed" up there we lived in Alexandria...

[egoldber]

Hi! I would definitely be interested. The where doesn't matter so much to me, since I have a ton of frequent flier miles I need to use!

I would personally vote for kids coming, since it would be impossible for me to make it otherwise.

[Rachels]

Let's do it!!! I am loving the NH, Canada, Pennsylvania ideas. NC also has gorgeous beaches, so that's an idea, too. I think the theme park thing sounds like a lot of fun, but I wonder about it for two reasons. One is that it might be overstimulating for smaller babies. I wouldn't be able to take Abigail somewhere like that right now-- she'd just be overwhelmed. The other is that it might not be the easiest place for us to really gather and talk and visit. If our kids were a little older, though...maybe in a few years? What do others think about this?

I'd vote for somewhere with playgrounds and pools and maybe a conference room or suite we could take over for a few days. I'd be glad to call around when we narrow this down a bit. Does late July or early August work for other people? I'm thinking of a long weekend, maybe.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[mama2be]

I'm game for anything...the months sound good to me and am not partial to any place. If folks wanted to do a theme park Tristan would only be a few months so I just assumed we'd find something else to do during that day but meet up later, so I have no preference.

This sounds like fun!!!

[mommychic]

How about Peddler's Village in New Hope, PA? It's a beautiful village with restaurants, hotels and shopping. It's very tranquil and they have facitilites for weddings - I guess we could "rent" a ballroom/conference room for a gathering. But if we plan in the summer they have beautiful grounds were prehaps we could arrange a picnic of some sorts. They have a website for those who are not familiar www.peddlersvillage.com.

Just another idea.

Lisa

[KathyO]

Here's a thought -

Apart from any excursions to local theme parks or whatever, we get a large conference room at a hotel. (Usually these can be had for free when you block-book a bunch of rooms.) We ask for it to be mostly empty, except for lots of chairs and a few tables around the edges.

Everyone coming to the get-together brings one large or two smaller (or something like that) toys, marked to make sure they go back to original owners. (Don't bring your child's absolute favourite, or they'll have trouble sharing it.) We fill the room with the toys, add a few plates of kidsnacks and adult snacks, and the crawlers, toddlers and preschoolers have a big play date while we yack, nurse, and (of course) referee as necessary. That might be our best chance to interact when the kids are around. It could run kind of like an open house - folks can come and go as naps and other events demand.

The room can be garnished with other fun stuff like:

a large message board with markers

a TV/VCR provided by the hotel to run videos on in the corner

an internet connection (how long can any of us be away from our keyboards?)

a large notebook to act as guestbook/venue for general doodles, comments and whatnot

a few disposable cameras for capturing the "Kodak moments"

... a lot can be done for very little $$.

That still leaves room for excursions and evening gabfests, but gives us a kid-friendly central rendezvous/hangout.

Of course, (and this is where I sail off the edge of practicality into la-la land) we could have panels and seminars to give the whole thing a more serious, "working" aspect. Topics could include:

Stroller Addiction - Can It Be Beaten? Should It Be?
Cloth Diapering... Just Exactly HOW Icky Is It, Really?
The Stupidest Piece Of Parenting Advice I Was Ever Given
Sleep Seminar (no discussion - just a bunch of cots with us flaked out on them)

Jeez, at the rate we're going, we'll have this whole darned thing nailed down by the time Alan and Denise get back from holidays!

Cheers,

KathyO
Who has to think about SOMEthing on her long stroller walks...

[egoldber]

Oh my god KathyO, you CRACK ME UP!!!!

I would be happy to chair the Cloth Diapering panel :-).

I think this is a TERRIFIC idea. Now just a place and a time!

Just think, if DH's come, then we can all go the spa together....mmmmm :)

[mamahill]

OMG - you girls have me almost crying I'm laughing so hard between KathyO's Conference Idea ("Baby Bargains 2003" - think we could get anybody to sponsor it?) and Joanne's "I can just see it, all of us whooping it up and our mates standing around, hands in their pockets, mumbling, "So how many hours a day does your wife log on the computer? What's with that?"" I think Joel would be the same way, Joanne!

Since most of you are on the east coast and I'm on the west, I probably won't be able to go, though believe you me, I'll try everything I can. With DH having to take vacation over the Christmas holiday (stupid forced closures), his vacation time is limited. If y'all want to visit the SF Bay Area, I'll be more than happy to do what I can to swing free lodging among friends and family... But I'll be happy to send a life-size cardboard cutout of myself to sit in on a panel. :)

[Magda]

My husband feels the same way. He thinks I'm OCD or somthing. "Why are you reading the strollers boards? You have a stroller." I probably couldn't come, but I have to tell you that this is a community that I love, even though I don't speak up very often. Especially since I quit work.

Keep me posted.

Elaine

[etwahl1]

This sounds like a great idea, although I have no idea where we'll be next summer. We're currently scheduled for a move to east coast, but we may end up staying here in California, based on what happens with DH's job. We'd both prefer to live here, as I love the climate and everything else.

DH also thinks I'm OCD. I've become a serious baby junkie since the moment I got pregnant and purchased the Fields' book. But he's happy I am doing all the research and have found such a great community to share with. He's now started asking me to post messages whenever he has a question. Kind of funny :)

Tammy,
EDD March '03

[TomsMom]

I'm in but I cannot make it in July.

Lisa (a.k.a. Nigele)
Mommy to Tommy
7/2/02

[_gour0]

Dh and I are planning on joining my parents in W Yarmouth for a week end of July.... We could meet at one of the hotels or something. Just a thought.

[Rachel 3]

Just bumping this up so people who've been away don't miss it. We'll plan this privately, but let me know if you want to be on the email list!

Rachel (used to be Rachels)
Mom to Abigail Rose
5-18-02

[etwahl1]

You can add me to your email list Rachel. Sorry I haven't responded before this. You have my email already, right?

Tammy,
EDD March '03

[megsmom]

Definitely interested, so please add me to the email. Sorry I couldn't post about it earlier. The thing I wonder, are all of you guys gonna be this funny, friendly, and caring in person? If so, what a blast! :)

Jen
mom to Meghan 7/13/01

[mamahill]

I'm funnier and friendlier in person. (ok, that sounded a lot funnier in my head, but upon rereading it, I'm sure someone will think, "and overly confident") Ah well, Ainsleigh and my cats were amused...

[kathsmom]

Rachel,

I definitely want to be on the e-mail list! I will send my e- mail address to you.

Toni - mom to Katherine (5/19/96) and Andrew (9/23/02)

[Melanie]

Ooh sounds like fun! But I'm about 48 states away from you guys! I hope you post about it afterwards so I can live vicariously!

Mommy to Jonah