Head to the Montgomery Mall location of Madewell (one of my favorite stores for casual chic clothes that last forever) for an evening of shopping tomorrow, May 10. Not only will there be drinks and nibbles, you can also receive assistance from a professional stylist (just like the celebs).

Bring in an item of your clothing that stumps you and experts from DC Style Factory will show you how to wear it using touch with Madewell clothing and accessories. Because space is limited for this free service, please RSVP to dcstylefactory@gmail.com with “Shop Your Closet–Madewell” in subject line. Include your name and the piece of clothing you’d like styled. (The style counsel is free, any shopping you do is on you.)

Hope everyone has a great night out and happy spring shopping!

Madewell at Montgomery Mall
7101 Democracy Blvd
Space # 2036
Bethesda, MD 20817

About Madewell — Everything at Madewell starts with a great pair of jeans. Next, mix in all the timelessly cool pieces you’ll want to wear with your denim: from perfect-fitting tees to old-school chambray shirts to cardigans, scarves, boots and bags. We’ve also got you covered with covet-worthy dresses, artfully designed jewelry and swimwear. If you had to sum up Madewell as a person, she’d be your best friend and personal stylist, all rolled into one.

About DC Style Factory — DC Style Factory is the place to unleash your individual style with professional know-how and expert advice on clothes, style, and fashion for men and women. As the former owner of and buyer for an award-winning contemporary boutique for men and women, Rosana Hemakom Vollmerhausen has had over a decade of fashion retail experience. Her expertise also includes styling local fashion events, writing expert fashion tips for several publications, and personal styling for individuals. Learn more.

Listen to Your Mother makes its Washington, DC debut on May 6, 2012 from 2 – 3:30 p.m.

Listen to Your Mother DC is live readings by local writers on the beauty, the beast and the barely-rested life of mothers. In celebration of Mothers Day, 14 women will read their personal stories about the humor and the heartbreak that go hand in hand with motherhood.

This production is dear to my heart, not only because it features so many of close personal friends, but a portion of proceeds from theticket sales will benefit our beloved late friend Susan Niebur‘s personally-designated charity, the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Produced by Kate Coveny Hood and directed by Stephanie Stearns Dulli, the cast includes hilarious and poignant pieces by DC’s most accomplished writing mothers:

Chrissy Boylan
Sarah Braesch
Nicole Crowley
Anna Whiston-Donaldson
Stephanie Stearns Dulli
Lindsay Felix
Lis Fogt
Devra Gordon
Cindy Green
Kate Coveny Hood
Monica Sakala
Elena Sonnino
Sue Wagner
Jean Winegardner

May 6, 2012

2-3:30 PM

The Synetic Theater at Crysal City

1800 South Bell Street

Arlington, VA 22202

(click here for driving directions)

Tickets are $18 and available for purchase online.

Children welcome, but please be advised that a small amount of subject matter or language may be unsuitable for all ages. Please email us listentoyourmotherdc@gmail.com with questions or concerns.

FYI, GNO = Girls’ Night Out, no “y”. Although as my friend K. has remarked, often an annual women’s exam can be relaxing as it a guaranteed hour or so without children.

Except for those times when we do have to take the kids to our pap smears and pregnancy check-ups with the kids in tow. (“Sweetie, stay behind the screen, ‘k? Look at your Leapster. No really, look at your Leapster, now!!”)

Sorry. Digression.

This women’s night out event at St. Raphael’s school in Rockville is a good time. It is free, for all women in the area and has been providing a fabulous annual night off for local moms for the last five years.  On Wednesday night, grab your keys, grab your girls, and get out of the house for drinks, luxe prizes and Mother’s Day shopping.

Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood: The Good, The Bad, and the Scary  is the best book you will read this year. And us DC-area parents can see author and insanely popular Scary Mommy blogger Jill Smokler read her best-selling book in person this week!

April 16th at 7:00 PM • BARNES & NOBLE • 4801 Bethesda Avenue • Bethesda, MD

April 18th at 7:30 PM Scary Mommy Night Out!• JCC OF WASHINGTON • 6125 Montrose Road • Rockville, MD • Register for the event

 You really need your own personally autographed and enscribed copy of this scary good read. Pick up one at the readings,  or win one of two copies on my new non-local blog A Parent in America!

And don’t forget to enter to win a laptop computer before the giveaway on A Parent in America closes this week!

The book contains short essays of motherhood full of humor and reality by my friend Jill Smokler of the insanely popular blog Scary Mommy. Whether she is admitting that she wants to “kick your ass hard” in the birthday party wars or considers the community pool “hell on earth”, Jill is a mom to whom all of us can relate and adore. She is hilarious and refreshingly honest about what really is going through mothers’ heads and lives while parenting young children.

But as they said on Reading Rainbow, “you don’t have to take my word for it”:

“Get ready to ditch those Prada shoes (and anything else nice you own) and face reality–you haven’t had a brutal boss until you’ve had a baby. Confessions of a Scary Mommyis hilariously, outrageously truthful about the hardest job I know. Put this book at the top of your diaper bag!” —Lauren Weisberger, New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Wears Prada

“Hilarious, brutal honesty about parenting.” — New York Times bestselling author Michael Ian Black

“Any mother who doesn’t stifle a million knowing laughs while reading Confessions of a Scary Mommy needs to make sure her funny bone wasn’t accidentally sucked into the diaper genie.” —Julie Klam, New York Times bestselling author of You Had Me at Woof

The book’s chapters all begin with the most outrageous anonymous confessions from the confessional and message boards populated by Scary Mommy’s followers: real parents like us.

Get more Scary Mommy daily at Jill Smokler’s award-winning blog, Scary Mommy.

Win a copy of Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood: The Good, The Bad, and the Scary on A Parent in America.

Buy the book – hard copy or Kindle.

And I’ll see you at the Scary Mommy book signing events!

Disclosure: Amazon affiliate links are used.

{re}Treat Yourself is a lifestyle redesign getaway or daytime event for working mothers who are frazzled, continuously striving for balance and in need of peace. Professionals in a variety of fields will walk attendees through aspects of modern, over-scheduled mothers’ lives and offer practical solutions.

You can sign up for both days Friday April 13 – Saturday April 14, 2012, with overnight stay or a daytime-only options, or choose a single day option on either Friday or Saturday.

The event will be at the luxurious Landsdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia — right in our “backyard” and close to home, but with a getaway feeling of miles away from the chaos. If you choose the overnight two-day option you will also receive a 15 percent discount to all services at Landsdowne’s award-winning Spa Minerale on Friday, April 13, 2012.

Saturday and full conference attendees will also enjoy a morning yoga and self care workshop with Kelly Newsome of Higher Ground Yoga, and other speakers include Aviva Goldfarb of The Six O’Clock Scramble, author Devra Gordon Renner of Mommy Guilt: Learn to Worry Less, Focus on What Matters Most, & Raise Happier Kids,  Stacy Morrison Editor-In-Chief, BlogHer.com, Kacy Paide of The Inspired Office, Dr. Nicole Cutts, Cutts Consulting & Vision Quest Retreats and more.

This event is brought to us by my fantabulous friend and event planner extraoridaire Stacey Ferguson. You probably know Stacy as “Justice Fergie” who blogs at  Life IS the Party and is curator of the Be Blogalicious conferences and community. Stacey’s {re}Treat philosophy is to infuse our daily lives with memory-worthy experiences.

A Parent in Silver Spring readers receive 10 percent off all three {re}Treat registration options! Enter discount code APISS when making your purchase.

Getaway: $550.00 (includes 1-night deluxe guest room accommodations, 2 days of sanity-saving sessions, lunch on Friday and Saturday, breakfast on Saturday, wine soiree and book signing, 15% discount on services at Spa Minerale on Friday, and gift bag)

2-Day Daytime-Only: $299.00 (includes 2 days of sanity-saving sessions, lunch on Friday and Saturday, breakfast on Saturday, and gift bag)

1-Day Daytime-Only: $175.00 (includes 1 day of your choice of sanity-saving sessions, lunch on that day, breakfast, if applicable, and gift bag)

Enjoy!

No compensation of any kind was received for promoting this event.