DC Metro Mom

Have you met our blogger Jen Kogan?  She is a mom and family therapist who helps parents because we all need a little help sometimes!

As a mom of 2, running my own business, and an avid lover of life and community.. I noticed something recently. I have NOT BEEN TAKING CARE OF MYSELF! AGH!

Here I am again, talking about chocolate. And for breakfast, no less.  

Warning: What I'm about to disclose may cause significant increase in cocoa (and chai) consumption. You may experience giddiness and bliss before 9 a.m. You may never skip breakfast again. You may actually, possibly (could-it-be?), eat vegetables for breakfast.  

If those are side-effects you can handle, then welcome to the Milkshakes-for-Breakfast Movement.

For more information, visit www.jlnv.org/stridesforsuccess.

One of my all-time favorite experiments is what I lovingly dub the “chock full ’o stress” study, done by Stanford professor Baba Shiv and Alexander Fedorikhin.   They divided college student participants into two groups, asking the first group to remember a two-digit number, and the second group to remember a seven-digit number.  The participants then walked down a hallway, where they were offered the choice between two snacks:  fresh fruit or chocolate cake. 

And this is where it gets interesting: the participants who were tasked with the seven-digit number, our group two gunners, were twice as likely to choose the cake.

I know we always hear and talk about it, now let's do it! And let's do it safely! Lil omm is so excited to host Michelle Pfennighaus, CHC as we make the pledge to reinvent ourselves inside and out. It might just be the jumpstart you need before summer! The 21 day detox kick off event is on Sunday, 4/22 @ 1:30pm.

One of my sensational self-care clients recently confessed a secret: despite her progess and our work together creating a nourishing diet based on healthy, whole foods, sometimes she still found herself caught up in cravings for the unhealthy options on the menu or at the dinner table.  

I know that all of us mama's wish we had a few more hours in the day just to have some time to ourseves, especially during times of stress. We all feel our stress in different places, some our shoulders and neck, some our backs.

I wanted to share with you a new series at lil omm, Theme Teaching. Check out two of our superstar teachers, Kate and Sandy talking about their first theme, back bends. This pose, when done correctly, can help release tension in the back relieving your cranky muscles.

To learn more about our Theme Teaching or to sign up for Kate or Sandy's class, please visit us at www.lilomm.com

Are you a busy mom feeling frazzled, overwhelmed and lost in the process of juggling career, family and home? Do you laugh at the thought of "me" time? Do you live for the weekends so that you just breathe? If so, I know the feeling; it's no way to live. That's why Stacey, a champion for working moms, is known in social media circles as “Justice Fergie”, has designed a retreat especially for you...

Come join us!!! To find out when playtime is, visit our website at www.lilomm.com

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the practice of Itsy Bitsy Yoga, here's a short video of my two favorite students (Saylor and Milo) going through some of the poses.

If you’re reading this, you probably know a thing or two about yoga. Yoga for adults is the norm these days, especially in big, stressed-out cities like Washington, DC. We know (or know someone who knows) how incredible yoga can make our bodies feel... but we’re just now starting to realize the boundless benefits of yoga for little bodies, too.

Not that there's a shortage of activities for kids these days. Glance at any neighborhood listserve, and you'll find an immense archive of opportunities for your son to learn to swim, your daughter to learn to dance, you to become a bonafide soccer mom. But the big truth is that yoga is exploding as a fun, go-to activity for little ones.

There is one class on the lil omm weekly schedule that is NEAR AND DEAR to my heart.. Yoga For Mamas.

There is NO other place in Washington, DC where you can come each week, drop in and be completely nurtured and taken over in a way that focuses on motherly love, energy and renewal. Based on our experience with Self Renewal, Yoga, and nurturing – we created this class out of love for the mamas in the community.

Have you ever read an article about the importance of “unplugging?”  This idea that, if we turn off the electronic devices that connect us to the world for a while, we’ll start to get some of our Zen back?