This post is sponsored by CanvasChampbut the content and views are independent and reflect my opinion on the quality and service.
When my now 14-year old son won an honor regarding one of his paintings, I was anxious to frame it and put it on a wall in our home.
Fortunately, I got an opportunity just in time to convert his artwork into a custom premium canvas that I could surprise him with on his birthday this year.
The ordering process on CanvasChampwas simple. We simply clicked a few buttons to upload a digital version of his work and selected the size and hit send and it was off!
In a few short weeks, I think two, the gorgeous canvas arrived carefully wrapped in the mail.
I could not wait to tear off the coverings to reveal his masterpiece brought to life.
My husband and I decided to hang the piece in our bedroom above our headboard and call my son into the room under the guise of collecting a pair of socks he left in there.
When he looked up, his eyes lit up in wonderment and surprise. A big wide grin took over his face and he giggled and asked us, “what? how did you do that.”
Magic, I replied back. I knew we had hit a home run with this precious gift.
CanvasChamp offers a wide array of products that you can have your photos or art converted into including table tops, pillows, wall frames, mugs, blankets, notebooks, mugs, ornaments, phone cases, calendar, water bottles, calendars and more.
My fave are the custom notebooks!
They offer 100% money back guarantee and right now, as of this blog post, a free 8×8 canvas print for your first order and 10% Off all pillows.
Overall, I am satisfied with the quality and quantity of offerings, selections and options, the ease of ordering, the speed of delivery and the quality of product delivered.
Personally, I plan to order more custom products from Canvas Champ! Prices start at $4.95 for some products and it is definitely one of the more reasonably priced options out there for quality custom furnishings and wall coverings!
When you are trying for a baby and you get those all-important positive results when doing a test, you life changes right then. You become so much more aware of your body and the amazing things that it is doing. You read every book or subscribe to every application about pregnancy, and you track things week by week. Those scans are exciting, the preparation is all part of the fun, and then when your baby does arrive it changes you once more.
Those first few weeks and months can often feel like a blur. One day merging into the next as you soak up that newborn bubble. Family visit, friends text, but once the initial excitement has calmed down, you are left with the baby and trying to create this whole new life and routine based around having someone else’s needs to cater for. It can be overwhelming. This is why it is so important to raise awareness of your mental health during this time. Being a new mum, or even being a second or third timer, it is still isolating, and every baby is different. Becoming a mum changes you beyond what words can describe, but there are some major benefits that you can take advantage of. Here are some of them. Hopefully it will inspire you to make some great changes in your life and to bring your family along for the ride.
1 Change your career
One of the big questions that you may be faced with now that you are a mom is wondering whether or not your career was all it was cracked up to be. Some women only have a certain amount of maternity leave before they need to head back into the workplace. Is this right for you and your baby? Of course, some people don’t have a choice, but often being a mom changes the way you see things and you decide that perhaps now might be the time to do something different. Here are some of the things that you could consider to change your career and how being a mom may help you do it.
2 Work from home and start your own business
Not everyone has the desire to leave the home after they have had a baby, work long hours and then subsequently not get to spend anytime with their little ones. It can often be the case for successful professionals when they return to work. However, why not use the skills that you have developed in your current job to start your own business? Maybe you have had an idea for some time, or perhaps since becoming a mom you have spotted a gap in the market for a product or service. So many mothers use their maternity leave to start up something from home, and have it become a real possibility that they don’t have to return back to work as it becomes their jobs. Working from home can give you greater flexibility around your family, and can often be the dream position for many mothers. You could make it your reality.
3 Use your empathy skills to help
When you become a mom you develop empathy and caring feelings like no other, and so it might be great to use this to your advantage in terms of a career. Counselling or helping people through traumatic times could now become a career option for you as you learn to listen more and empathize with certain situations, especially with things like postnatal depression. This is when getting skills and knowledge such as taking on a bs psychology online degrees could work in your favor. This could definitely be a rewarding career change, and it may work around your family such as taking on part time hours, or even looking into things such as starting your own business in this field.
4 Help other women go through pregnancy and giving birth
Lastly, you may have absolutely loved giving birth and your whole pregnancy and might want to help others have a positive experience as well. So a career change could see you doing things such as training to be a nurse or midwife, or perhaps just being a doula who is present at the birth and becomes a birthing partner for a mother to be. It could be a very rewarding role and while it can be demanding, and often requires you to work shifts, it could certainly change your life and enable you to share in the positive experiences with others.
5 You learn to prioritize
Now that you are a new mom you certainly learn how to prioritize in different ways, and so it may be worth thinking about how this could be effective when it comes to your life day to day. Not only do you ensure that your child has a schedule and routine in place, but this can also work for you as a mom as well. So here are some of the ways that you can learn to prioritize and make some changes along the way.
6 Get a cleaning schedule going
When it comes to cleaning, it can often be put on the back burner when you become a mom, and for good reason. You have other things that you want to be doing instead. However, cleaning is something that you will still need to do, so it might be worth ensuring that you do all that you can to get yourself a schedule going on. Often little by little you can come up with a plan that enables you to stay on top of things, without it being a big deal to you. There are so many different methods you can follow online that could help you get something together yourself. Whether that is tackling a different room each day, or just doing specific jobs daily to keep on top of things. You will feel better for getting things in order.
7 Meal plan and batch cook
It might be time to start thinking about a meal plan and batch cooking. This can really help you out on those days where you feel lethargic, are running on low energy and need to concentrate on your little one. Having a home cooked meal already cooked and frozen makes things so much simple, and you know you are getting a nutritious meal. It might be worth ensuring that you can meal plan which helps you to be more aware of what it is you and the family are going to eat. It helps to avoid the temptation of convenience food or take away, and also enables you to save some money on your food shop. It makes it easier to do things such as online shopping, which frees up your time for other things.
8 Become strict with the finances
Of course, part of being on maternity means that you may not be bringing in as much money as you normally do, and while this can cause you a bit of stress and worry, there are also things you can do to help you take advantage and make things a bit easier. You can prioritize and become a little stricter with the finances. Meal planning is one of the ways but you can also do things such as ensure that work on things like electricity usage and shop around for the best deals within your budget.
9 You are still you
Finally, as a new mom you are still the same person as you were before you got pregnant. While things may have changed for you, and while you may be thinking about some of the other things that have become more important in life, it is still important to take care of yourself. Here are some of the things that you can do.
10 Give yourself time for self-care
Self-care is so important as a new mom and there are many ways that you can do it. It might be as simple as a hot bath or a chance to read a book, or it could be something like getting your hair done or your nails. It might seem like a small thing, but it can make the world of difference to your mindset and how you feel.
11 Work on your mindset
On the subject of your mindset, it is also very important for you to ensure that you work on your thought process and your outlook on life. It can be easy to feel negative and down in the dumps when you have just had a baby, and this is when you can be at your most vulnerable. So take some time to be more aware of your thoughts and try and actively be more positive.
12 Make your lifestyle a focus
Finally, make your lifestyle more of a focus for you. It can all be part of your self care, but if you can, be aware of your diet and the food that you eat, how much exercise you take and also ensuring that you drink plenty of water. These may be the basics, but combined they can help you to feel so much better in yourself.
Let’s hope these tips help you when it comes to the changes you feel as a new mom.
Kylie Jenner andCardi Bare queen of setting and staying on top of trends so of course the new moms are rocking the latest in ornate super long coffin cut nails.
However, that penchant for showing off their latest exquisitely designed hands is making them target for a new type of mommy shaming.
When the Kyie Lipkit mogul posted a recent photo of herself with daughter Stormi while showing off her gorgeous pink ombre nails, several fans replied criticizing the danger the nails could pose to a baby.
“Poor Stormi. I bet she has all over her tiny body bruises and scars from her mother’s witch nails,” one replied. “how do you look after her with those nails?”
Cardi B got similar treatment in a post sharing a new diamond bracelet her daughter Kulture is wearing. “Am wondering how she wash her baby’s cratch cuz her nails always long,” one fan wrote, “how do you do anything with yo baby with them nails?”
Spring is coming and very soon it will be time to start thinking of doing a thorough and comprehensive cleaning and overhaul of the family home. Spring Cleaning is a time to start fresh and get rid of all the accumulated dust, grime and dirt from everyone being crammed indoors.
A little while ago the Imperfect Homemaking blog came up with a pretty thorough list of over 100 tasks including some of these below to guide your cleaning:
FOYER 1. Dust lighting fixtures. 2. Wash walls and trim 3. Wash doors, knobs and switch plates. 4. Wash bench or other furnishings. Launder bench cushion, if applicable. 5. Empty out coat closet. Wash walls and floor, if needed. Sort items as you return them to the closet. 6. 6. Store out of season items, donate unneeded items. 7. Clean or replace entry mat. 8. Sweep and scrub floors. 9. Reseal grout lines, if necessary.
BEDROOMS 11. Open windows 12. Dust furniture. 13. For each drawer: remove items, wash drawer, place items back neatly. Donate Items you no longer need. 14. Remove everything from closets. Sweep and wash closet floor. Put everything back neatly. Donate items you no longer need. Try not to store things on closet floor. 15. Move Bed. Sort and put away anything that was under bed. Sweep or vacuum under bed. Try not to store things under bed. 16. Put bed back. Freshen mattress by sprinkling with baking soda, letting sit briefly, and the vacuuming it up. 17. Launder bedding and curtains. Wash pillows and duvet in hot water. Air out mattress pad, if you have one. 18. Dust lights. Clean lamp shades. 19. Wash windows and window sills. Take out and wash window screens. 20. Wash switch plates. Wash walls and trim as needed. 21. Wash mirrors or dust art. 22. Wash doors and doorknobs. 23. Wash floor registers and other vent covers. 24. Sweep and wash floor or vacuum.
BATHROOMS 25. Open windows 26. Empty all cabinets and vanity. Wash inside, replace items neatly. Discard expired medications and cosmetics. 27. Wash outside of cabinets and vanities 28. Clean tub. Wax if necessary. Clean drain. 29. Clean toilet, inside and out. Remove seat and clean around seat bolts. 30. Clean sink and drain. 31. Shine faucets. 32. Clean mirror and frame . 33. Dust light fixtures. 34. Wash windows and window sills. Take out and wash window screens. 35. Wash switch plates. wash walls and trim. Wash doors and door knobs. 36. Wash floor registers and other vent covers. 37. Sweep and wash floors. 38. Reseal grout lines if necessary.
KITCHEN 39. Open windows. 40. Remove and clean window coverings. Click here for instructions on cleaning mini blinds. 41. For each cabinet or drawer: Remove items, wipe out drawer, place items back neatly. Donate unneeded items. 42. Wash and sanitize cutting boards 43. Sharpen knives 44. Wash cabinet doors and knobs 45. Clean and organize pantry. Check food expiry dates. 46. Clean oven. 47. Clean stove top. Remove elements and drip bowls, if applicable, wash and put back. 48. Clean and organize fridge and freezer. Defrost freezer, if necessary. Check food expiry dates. 49. Clean under fridge and stove. 50. Vacuum refrigerator coils.
Continue READING and get the rest of the list for other areas of the home at Imperfect Homemaking and download a PRINTABLE LIST HERE!
The same day that MTV released its trailer for The Hills: Beginning, reboot of its popular 90s docu/drams show, Lauren Conrad, who starred in the original, announced she is expecting her second child.
Is this shade? Or Thunder stealing.
Conrad is not going to be in the reboot but she is one of the more popular and liked member of the old cast.
The former Laguna Beach star posted the news on her Instagram account.
“It’s been hard to keep this one to myself! Very excited to share that our family will be getting a little bigger this year,” she wrote sharing the adorable pic of her cradling her belly.
And the bump is quite sizeable so it is possible she is pretty far along in her pregnancy.
This will be her second child. Lauren and her husband, William Tell, are already parents to 1-year-old son, Liam.
Congrats!
Brandon Thomas Lee and Mischa Barton will join original cast members Audrina Patridge, Brody Jenner, Frankie Delgado, Heidi Pratt, Jason Wahler, Justin “Bobby” Brescia, Spencer Pratt, Stephanie Pratt and Whitney Port for the return of the iconic series “The Hills: New Beginnings.” Kaitlynn Carter, Jennifer Delgado and Ashley Wahler will also appear in the series, the MTV press release read.
I was admiring some of the “How to Wear” pins on Pinterest and realized that few of them feature women who look like me and with my body size and shape.
So I decided to fill the void and create my own starting with this post on how to rock an orange off-the-shoulder peasant top.
I styled it several ways and here are a few ways to pull it of.
CASUAL:
Pair it with cropped denim distressed jeans or cuff a pair of jeans you already own. I’m wearing American Eagle but you can get a similar jeans here and for a lower price point here. I dressed it down with quilted black Sperry loafers (similar style) and here is a similar brand for less or (splurge on Tod’s) and carried a signature Dooney & Bourke leather and canvas monogram logo hobo bag (which you can purchase here for just $60!
A simple overcoat completes the casual look during cooler temps, during weekenders or while out and about running errands when layers are essential. Get this exact Amanda Smith creamsicle colored trench from my Poshmark store for just $45. (or similar a little pricieror here by Express)
OFFICE
A grey cardigan by Forever 21 worn over the black Theory pants (get similar by H&M for lower price) with pointy toed patent leather pumps with metal buckle accents (similar) made this look acceptable for the office on casual Friday or any day of the week to be honest.
Congrats to Amber Rose who is expecting her second child, another son.
The Slutwalk founder announced the news that she and her her Def Jam Records exec boyfriend Alexander Edwards since October are expecting their first child together on Instagram.
“She’s going to be a “MUVA” of 2!” she captioned a of photo of herself during an OB sonogram appointment on Instagram “@ae4president and I are SUPER excited to announce that we have a Sweet little Baby Boy on the way!”
Edwards shared his excitement, posting to social media, “Even when it’s dark… my SON will shine…Thank u baby 4 my greatest gift. s–t wild! I love you I can’t wait to thug it out w my baby boy. & baby boy, I promise I won’t get mad if ur first words r ‘where the bitches @?’ ”
Rose is already a mom to 6-year-old son Sebastian, whom she shares with an ex fiance, rapper Wiz Khalifa.
“P.S Sebastian is soooooo Happy to be a big brother!” she added in her post.
I guess they didn’t see my warning on Monday but Justin Bieber, Brandi Granville and Claudia Jordan are among celebrities who pulled the pregnancy April Fool’s Joke and had to apologize or pull it down.
Bieber made a series of short jokes that included an Instagram pic of a fake ultrasound photo of his new wife Hailey Baldwin with a pregnancy announcement of Hailey’s pregnancy later revealed to be merely an April Fools prank.
Fans of the star couple didn’t take the joke lightly, some citing Bieber’s insensitivity toward people who can’t get have children.
Today, he half-apologized with another Instagram post.
“There’s always gonna be people offended, there’s also people who don’t take jokes very well, I am a prankster and it was APRIL FOOLS,” he wrote. “I didn’t at all mean to be insensitive to people who can’t have children.”
“It’s like when I shoved cake in my little sisters face for her birthday expecting her to laugh but she cried,” the caption continued. “You sometimes just don’t know what will hurt someone’s feelings not to compare pregnancy with cake in the face but it’s just to paint the picture of not knowing what will offend.”
Granville, formerly of the Bravo TV franchise Real Housewives of Beverly Hills posted on Instagram, “5 weeks now third times a charm… and y’all thought all of my eggs were scrambled.”
The reaction was swift and she took down the post and later tweeted,“I deleted my April fools joke on IG BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE TO FUCKING SENSITIVE & I don’t feel like fighting today.”
Well they fought anyway.
One of her followers responded, “Not cool if a AF joke. I lost two babies. Sorry, but could you not have been a little more original or creative.”
Another Twitter user commented, “I don’t understand if this is your idea of a joke!! I struggled to conceive and required IVF. If you have any common sense you would realize the struggles of many many women! Completely unacceptable even from you.”
Critics in Jordan’s comments accused her of being insensitive to Hussle’s grieving fans, while others accused Jordan of being insensitive to women who’ve experienced infertility.
“Seriously though @claudiajordan perhaps a different Joke would have been better. A little insensitive you have to agree after reading the comments ALOT of women really cannot conceive and was genuinely happy for you,” wrote @knichelleburke69.
“So insensitive of you, some of us are struggling with infertility,” user bambulucutie replied.
“1 in 8 women suffer from fertility issues. I myself have had 5miscarriages and 2 still born babies. I struggle not only to conceive but birth a healthy child. To make a joke of it is not only insensitive but ignorant. This is the exact reason so many women suffer in silence. Pregnancy isn’t as easy as laying down and spreading your legs. Some of us put thousands into a pregnancy and it ends in a miscarriage. The mental abuse we do to ourselves for a child is insane. We want a child so bad that we become our own worse enemy. Somewhere at the moment you posted that a woman birthed another still born, found out there was no heartbeat, buried her child, pissed on a stick only for it to be negative again, was told the IUI failed, missed the ovulation window, was told she she’ll never carry a child of her own. Somewhere a persons entire world ended and here you are thinking it’s a joke. Congrats. Try learning about what women go through before joking about it. Sit with a woman that has suffered and still suffers from her miscarriage. Educate yourself. @claudiajordan“
Lesson Learned!
Hopefully by now, news spread and people will learn to leave this joke alone. It might have gone unnoticed in the past but in this era, it’s a no no!
As a work-from-home mom and blogger, I have a little more time in my day to sneak in a quick trip to the gym or an exercise class before my children come home from school and I have to start shuttling them to various sports and music practices.
Although I belong to one of those big chain gyms, I like to diversify my work out routines to prevent boredom and prefer to patronize smaller boutique gyms.
The problem: In the county I live in there are not that many at all. In fact, a few years back, I purchased a Class Pass, a fitness disruptor app that lets you book unlimited exercise classes at various boutique gyms in your region for one low monthly price of like $99. Sadly, I had to cancel my membership because there were so few options available in my county it stopped making sense to keep it.
I would book classes in DC or Northern Virginia or Montgomery County which seemed to have 10 boutique gyms per mile but would routinely arrive after classes started because of traffic, distance, parking and other issues.
Every. single.time. It was a money pit.
Fast forward a few years, and on my own, from walking my neighborhood and scrolling Instagram, I discovered that there are close to a dozen if not more boutique fitness studios right here in my county or very close to it.
I’ve been to some but not all.
Here are 10 I recommend :
Barre
Open Barre Studiosin College Park, Maryland is a quaint space located above the restaurants in a shopping center in the college town I live near and where I attended, the University of Maryland.
“Barre is not dance so much as it is a low-impact workout,” she said. “It takes elements of ballet and it incorporates it into the workout, but you absolutely don’t need to be a dancer to do it.”
I purchased a first timer pass which allowed for unlimited class for the two weeks for like $30 I think. Now that price is $45 or you can take just 3 classes for the $30. Drop in price is $14 per class so that’s still a $14 savings.
The staff is made up of a lot of students from the school as is most of the clientele. But there is a mix of stay-at-home local moms, retirees, and young professionals in the county who are excited to finally have a place to practice barre.
I might be wrong, but I believe this is the only barre studio in the entire county of about 1 million people! Crazy, right?
It has a ton of fun themed classes: Mommy and Me, Doggy and Me, Beyonce, 80s, 90s pop, sorority or fraternity, bring a significant other and more galore!
Also, the best part is the price point is perfect, starting at just $5 for the Happy Hour Barre classes on Fridays starting 4:30.
You cannot beat this anywhere in the tri-State area including Virginia and DC!
Students (and Alums) get the discount monthly price of $75 for unlimited classes which cost $99 for non-students.
I love this space and come as many times I can in given my and my kids’ hectic schedules.
Cross-Fit
Again, the pickings are slim in my county and I do not know of any studios in any other part of the county other than Cross Fit Hyattsville!
It is located in a spacious 5700 sq ft warehouse unit so there’s tons of room for a large pull-up rig, climbing ropes, rings, and 130 ft running lane that is also used for sled work, handstand walks, tire flipping and all the other crazy strength, conditioning and body building tools and apparatuses associated with Cross Fit training.
Membership is more of a price commitment at $145 per month for 9 classes but you save $10 if you commit to 3 months. For $170 you get unlimited classes as part of a 3-month commitment but that price jumps to $185 if you opt for month-to-month. Don’t worry, you can check it out for FREE!
Cycling
CYCLED – I recently discovered this two studio boutique cycling and exercise space while waiting for my son and daughter to get out of swim practice. One is located in Takoma Park, DC near the DC, Prince George’s and Montgomery County borders so it is centrally located for people in my county to get to and right next door to a Starbucks you can get a jolt of espresso from before your ride.
It also offers barre and yoga sculpt classes.
I finally got to check out a complimentary class last month and loved it! I got a great work out and even though I came in dead last (there is a competitive part and they email you your standing after class) I really enjoyed the experience. The music was booming and kept me hype and energized. The intimate space made the experience climatic!
Amenities include a towel at each bike for riders, spacious cubby lockers, a shower, coat racks and water station to refill a water bottle. The instructors are super nice, accommodating and tend to each individual student so you don’t ever have to feel intimidated or unsure if it’s your first class.
Rooftop spin classes at Cycled – Silver Spring!
I also got a chance to later check out the Soca Ride at its Silver Spring location, Sundays at 9 am taught by Grace S and had a ball! It was just after Trinidad Carnival so really got me going playing all the latest hits by Machel, Mister Killah, Patrice Roberts, Super Blue and even a mix of high energy pop and reggae in there.
The motto of the studio is “Less Cult, More Community” perhaps to take on the intense intimidation factor that occurs when newbies join a gym made up of die-hard fitness loyals to that particular gym.
Dr Shayla Cornick started the studio with just 11 bikes at her Silver Spring location before opening a second studio in Takoma Park.
Prices start at $20 per drop in and they offer generous discounts, and have other free class offers, as well as a challenge to encourage members to partner up and win prizes for going on rides.
Kickboxing
The iLoveKickboxing revolutionary system of gyms has a location in Hyattsville that I see always full of energetic members. The windows are blacked out by the dressing for privacy but I can still feel their power as I walk by.
To start is steal: $45 that includes boxing gloves and there is always a deal for much less on Groupon. After an initial class, the price may jump slightly but by then, I imagine you’re hooked. I love kickboxing and have been meaning to try this spot out too for a while. I think I will soon.
Pole Dancing
I took a class atMy Body Shop back in 2015 on my Class Passbecause it was one of like 3 studios in the county on that system (and still only 1 of three studios). The studio is spacious with cubbies in the back. There are ample poles and silks and lots of mirrors to check your form. They also teach chair physics, twerk and other forms of dance here.
The instructors were knowledgeable and nice but in the end, I found that it wasn’t the fitness routine for me because of my lack of faith in the pole and my upper body strength! ha!
Classes are $27 each and packages start at $89!
I think it’s still available on Class Pass. It hosts parties, workshops and has other fun events throughout the year and is located in the heart of Riverdale off 410.
No contract monthly packages for up to 8 regular classes and $10 specialty classes that normally cost $30 each are available for $89 which brings the cost down per class to about $11 and change! That’s a great deal and will force you to attend to get your money’s worth!
Total Body
The only small gym I am aware of that is south of the Hyattsville, College Park and Riverdale area is Torch Gym in Capitol Heights!
It is a 3,000 sf personal training venue that combines Weight Training, HIIT workouts, bootcamps, group fitness and personal training. Drop in prices start at $20 and 4-pack personal training sessions are $45 with longer commitment packages starting at $100
I’ve never been but am excited to see another part of the county have a boutique gym. It is relatively new as well and was founded in 2016!
Yoga
There are a few more yoga studio options in the county, with a lot of them heavily concentrated in the Hyattsville, Baltimore Avenue-Route 1 Arts District corridor.
Kendra Blackett-Dibinga, owner of Bikram Yoga Works
Bikram Yoga Works – Kendra Blackett-Dibingaowns this Riverdale studio that has been a regular staple in the community for several years. It started with hot yoga and recently expanded to include pilates. The studio started when Kendra’s husband and co-owner, Omekongo, who was suffering from chronic groin pain and residual basketball injuries, turned to yoga as a holistic, non-medicinal and non surgical option.
It now boasts 6 locations in the county and DC (and Boston) and elite athlete training options, cryotherapy, fascial stretch therapy and hot barre at its Ivy City locale.
Classes start at just $10 per month and new students can get unlimited access at an introductory offer of just $45!
Love Yoga Studio is a nurturing family-friendly space in Hyattsville, Maryland that is also relatively new. Classes are capped at 12 to ensure max attention from instructors. The prices start at $17 but you can get an unlimited pass for a week for just $3 more! That’s a bargain and great incentive to squeeze in as many sessions as you can that week.
I have never been to this studio but judging from the positive reviews on Google and Yelp, I am eager to check it out! Adult classes include: Beginners, Prenatal, Yin, Hatha, Vinyasa Flow, Alignment, and Community yoga classe
Yoga Works is a community studio located three blocks West of Route 1, nestled in Hyattsville’s Historic District with a view of Gallatin Street Park. It caters to families of all ages, and especially neighborhood regulars.
Its certified teachers offer classes in Vinyasa, Hatha, Prenatal Yoga, Pilates, and our newest additions, Yogalates and Feldenkrais. Classes are reasonably priced at just $15 per class and $130 for a 13 weeks. It only accepts Cash or Checks. Interesting limitation in this digital world but alas, it is what it is.
NON BOUTIQUE BUT TRENDY
Orange Theory is not a boutique spot but rather a very popular chain. It has a national reputation and just opened up one of its newest locations on Route 1 in College Park.
It is billed as an experience: “a science-backed, technology-tracked, coach-inspired group workout with personalized results…led by a personal trainer, this hour-long HIIT class incorporates cardio, indoor rowers, weight training blocks, and floor exercises designed to give you results from the inside out for a longer, more vibrant life.” Wow! Okay. Sure. I haven’t gone to this one either but wanted to put it out there as an option.
It’s a bit pricier at $28 per drop in class and $225 for a 10 pack session. I sense that members are full in similar to Soul Cycle and other trendy national gym chains.
That is it for now! I am happy to update this post if any of the owners spot any discrepancies. Also, I’m happy to append it with my own personal experience later.
As if you don’t have enough feelings of anxiety as it is! When you are uprooting the entire family and going to a new location for a new adventure in life, the people that will feel it the most isn’t you, but your children. Moving the entire family comes with its fair share of stress, and while we can get swept up in the entire flow and excitement of moving, we could neglect our children to an extent. After all, you’re taking them away from everything that they know, and depending on their age, they will react in certain ways.
What can we do to ensure that everybody feels the excitement of moving, but also address the common concerns that come with it?
Communicate
We are inundated with issues that need to be fixed. Whether it’s dealing with removalists or fixing short-term problems, and tying up loose ends, we can be very busy. And these are all things that we have to do. And all of this box ticking can be somewhat alien to our children. After all, if we focus so much on tying up loose ends before we go, we might not have the opportunity to stop and talk to our children to see how they’re feeling. It’s important to check in on them from time to time and see if there’s anything that you can do to help them.
It’s a very simple thing, but when we are too busy, or we are really working hard at making life easier for everyone when we get there, we can neglect how our children are feeling right now. And when we’re stressed, it can seem like every minute is time wasted. But, if you’ve got children that are desperate for your attention, and they are showing the signs of anxiety or stress, put the computer away, and focus on them. Give them five minutes at the very least!
Allow Your Children To Help In The Preparation
Letting your children help gives them the opportunity to become familiar with the situation. After all, if you are spending so much time calling up utility companies, getting the removal company details ready, and ensuring everything goes like clockwork, doesn’t it make sense for you to give your children some tasks so they are part of the process, but it also makes life a bit easier for you? By allowing them to help lets them become familiar with everything that’s going to happen.
And depending on the age of the children, their duties can vary. But what you can do if you have young children that are quite anxious about the whole thing, is give them a task that’s very minimal, like finding nice places to eat in the new town or city. Or, if food isn’t their thing, letting them find out about family-friendly places where the children can go and play. That way, it minimizes a lot of the mystique. After all, we are fearful of the unknown, so just let them become acquainted with the place by giving them the simplest of tasks.
Hitting The Ground Running
It’s all about keeping as many of the old routines as possible. And while you are moving to a new place, if you can hit the ground running by removing some of the mystique, but also sticking to a lot of what you are used to doing as a family, this makes it far more manageable. Your children will look to you for emotional cues. If you are stressed in the build-up to the move, or there’s just too many things for you to do that you are crumbling under the pressure, what are they going to think? As such, you’d better prepare yourself for an abundance of tantrums.
But by hitting the ground running, and making a big plan that can be stuck to, while also adhering to your old family routines, this will make the shift not so seismic. And this is very helpful if you’ve got young children that are pretty confused by what’s going on. You need to do what you can to stick to what’s considered “normal” for your kids.
A very good example would be your child’s bedding. If they are of toddler age, by giving them their blankets and teddy bears they are used to, this gives them that little bit of comfort that could very well help them go to sleep if they’ve been struggling. We got to think about the shakeup in a routine that can drastically impact younger children. So by being as rigid as possible in our normal routines, as well as making sure that we are positive in our state of mind, this will go a long way.
Giving It Time
Of course, it doesn’t all go smoothly. It’s important to note that you may have tantrums, disagreements, and full-blown arguments with your children and them lashing out at you because it’s your fault, you’ve taken them away from their normal lives, and they won’t see that it’s for the greater good.
It’s important to give it time, and let them vent. By letting them express themselves like this, rather than shutting them down and telling them why you’ve done this in the first place, it’s going to help them in the long run. And at the same time, if you have younger children, it’s common to expect regression. For example, if your child was potty trained around 2 years old and they’re now 4 or so, you may very well expect to see a couple of accidents.
But remember, this is how a child deals with a stressful situation. Just be calm and give it time. These things will pass. And if your children are missing aspects of their old life, is there anything you can do to make them feel a little bit better in the meantime? Old friends can be contacted online, or they can phone their grandparents for a nice chat. These things are very important, and shouldn’t be severed as a result of the new move. But also, you don’t want them to rely on their old life to get them through. But it’s about that comfort blanket situation, letting them do what they can to feel that they can cope with each and every day in this new place. But it’s the same thing for you, you can feel like everything has changed, but what hasn’t changed is that you’re all together, as a family unit.
Bonding
You’re going to be sticking together a lot more, especially in those first few weeks of settling down in the new place. Your children will be going to a new school, and they will take some time to find their feet. What you can do in the meantime is to reinforce the stability of the family unit. Remember, they look to you for emotional cues. So walk the walk, and maintain positivity.
And the things that you’ve been doing together in the build-up to the move can help to achieve that stability, especially as everyone is going through a major change. And this is important to remember, because everyone is going to have their own ups and downs, yourself included, and while you’re all finding your feet, this is where you can all go on adventures together.
Whether it’s finding a new place to go eat, introducing yourselves to the new neighbors, or just going exploring, you have to remember that these are the prime opportunities for you to solidify your relationships even more. During a stressful process like moving, you can either get closer or become more distant as a result.
Helping Your Children Socialize
But you won’t be this solid family unit for long, your children will have to go to school and make new friends. And this can be one of the most difficult aspects of moving the entire family. We can panic that our children won’t make new friends, and they will be unhappy for a long time to come. But, what might be beneficial would be to give them a few pep talks. It’s easier with young children to make new friends, but when they go to school, it can be a very difficult process.
But children make friends in school because of shared activities. So, do a bit of research and find common interests in the local school, as well as the neighborhood. If there are certain games or pastimes that can help your children to integrate with other kids better, go for it. At least this way, if your child has nothing in common with them, they can at least walk the walk in their own way until they are confident enough to make friends by themselves.
Don’t forget, you will go through a lot of stress, not just because of the admin side of things, or the move, but you will genuinely worry about your children. It’s important to be as calm and as positive as possible. And as making a big move is all about starting again, we can get overwhelmed by the stress, but there’s a reason you’re all moving in the first place. Sometimes it can feel like you have made a mistake.
But you know, deep down, this is for the benefit of everyone.
