What is a Momcation?

A Momcation is a vacation for Mom, away from the kids, with the goal of relaxing, renewing, and repairing mom  so she can be an even greater Mom when she returns home.

MOMcation 2012 is a retreat featuring opportunities to connect with and learn from other Moms as well as spend some quiet time alone in self-reflection. The retreat is April 13-15 at Heifer Ranch near Perryville, Arkansas. It is being organized by moms who realize the importance of taking a break from it all to refresh and revive your spirit and connect with who you are, aside from being a mom.

Who Should Attend Momcation 2012?

MOMcation is not affiliated with any group, organization, church or business.  It is open to any mom and mom-to-be who would like to attend.  Momcations are for every Mom, and can be considered an important part of being an effective mother.  Look at it this way:  At some point in your life, you’ve probably attended a work-related conference, workshop, or other professional-development type event.  You went to a location out of your normal work place which energized you and gave you new perspective.  While you were there, you probably had a chance to relax a bit and enjoy downtime with your colleagues. And at the end of the event, you left with tons of new ideas and new enthusiasm for your work.  That’s what a Momcation is: professional development for your most important job – being a Mom.

To learn more about MOMcation, visit the links on the right, or click the tabs above.

“I was very surprised at the level of comfort I felt at meeting so many new people at one time, but the environment was so comfortable and relaxing that it made it very easy. Can it be longer? ”

“You guys put together a fantastic retreat. This is something that women need now more than ever. We don’t have the geographical roots or family support of past generations. MOMcation allows us to connect with other mothers, and that is vital to our well-being.”

“I loved painting the pots. It gave me time to relax and chat it up with other moms. I also loved charades! Didn’t know I was so good..lol!”

“Thank you so much for coming up with this! I can’t stop talking about it.”

“One thing I really appreciate about MOMcation is that it is women of different colors, backgrounds and incomes. The scholarship program is brilliant, and I plan to get more involved with that next year.”

A friend told me that often, after completing a big project, there’s a period of feeling low and a bit empty.  This certainly happened to me as I completed a six week run of craziness that included re-scheduling and then attending MOMcation 2011.  However, reading the quotes above and the rest of the comments on the follow-up survey for this year’s retreat brings it all back into focus.

I originally created MOMcation to be a weekend for every mom to enjoy.  I wanted something that would be affordable and accessible (and attractive) to everyone.  In this, the second year for MOMcation, I learned a lot about letting go of certain things and focusing on what was really the core purpose of the event – relaxing, reflecting, and reviving.

Exploring Heifer Ranch

I loved the way that our 23 attendees bonded together almost immediately this year.  There was hardly a need for ice breaker games, but we played them anyway because they are fun.  We had several moms that returned to MOMcation after attending in 2010, plus many more that attended for the first time, including five scholarship recipients.  I really enjoyed getting to know these ladies, and watching attendees who were already my friends meet new friends.

We spend a lot of time thinking about and planning for the activities at MOMcation.  Due to the reschedule, a few of our planned sessions for Saturday fell through.  In a last minute dash, committee member Ashlee Bechdoldt suggested we do a garden pot painting activity to fill the gap.  Ashlee pulled it all together, and wouldn’t you know it?  It ranked high among the favorite activities of the weekend.

Painting Pots Makes MOMs Happy!

My personal favorite activity was Skyping with Amy Wilson, the author of our book discussion book, When Did I Get Like This? Each chapter in Amy’s book covers a different aspect of motherhood.  It was really interesting to see which chapters resonated most with different moms in the discussion group, and I loved hearing Amy’s perspective live and candid. MOMcation committee member Nicole Walberg set up the Skype call with Amy and did a fantastic job of moderating the discussion.

Although we’re not planning it yet, I’m already looking forward to MOMcation 2012.  I do hope that we don’t have to schedule it twice as we did this year, but even if we do, I know it will totally be worth it.

A huge thanks goes to our fantastic sponsors (see them on the right sidebar over there?).  Without them, this weekend would not be possible.  Our presenting sponsor, Todays THV and MomsLikeMe.com have a great site where moms can connect with one another. Go check it out!

You can find more photos and posts about MOMcation 2011, as well as keep up to date on future events on our Facebook page.

You get to pick your color!

As a mother, I tend to bottle things up, but now I hear it’s good for me!  Ok, so I’m not talking about emotions.  I’m talking about water.  Once again, our sustainability sponsor, EcoFab Store, is helping us bottle things up in a good way!  EcoFab is providing each MOMcationer with a very cool, custom printed metal water bottle.  We do our best to make MOMcation as Eco-Friendly as possible, so these water bottles are the perfect match for our event!  They’ll help us avoid using plastic water bottles and keep us hydrated!  These awesome bottles are made by EcoFab’s parent company, CynerGreen, which is locally owned by Danelle and Joe Hoffer, of Cabot.

EcoFab, located in McCain Mall in North Little Rock, is a unique boutique, carrying products you won’t find anywhere else in Arkansas. In addition to hoards of beautiful drinkware in all shapes, sizes, and colors, EcoFab also carries a bevy of eco-friendly gifts, decor, and housewares.  It’s a great place to find earth-friendly Easter basket fillers, or something cheery to celebrate Spring.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention Vale Soap.  Crafted by Joe Hoffer right in the store, these lovely soaps contain all natural ingredients and come in a huge range of scents, colors, and sizes.  I love, love, love these soaps, and it makes me feel good to use them on my kids knowing they are chemical-free.  You can also order custom-made soaps if you don’t find the scent/shape combo you like at the soap bar.

EcoFab also hosts fundraising events for charities, schools, and other organizations.  You can reserve an evening for a private shopping event, or select a specific day during which 10% of all sales will go back to your cause.

You can visit EcoFab Store online, but I encourage you to go see them in person.  They are open Mon-Thur 11 to 6, Fri-Sat 11 to 9, and Sun 1 to 4.

We do our best to make MOMcation as reasonably priced as possible for attendees, while still managing to feed, shelter, educate, entertain, and swagify everyone for a full weekend. However, we know that $150 can be a big hit to your pocket book.  That said, we offer FIVE different options for getting yourself to MOMcation without “pain in the purse.” By thinking ahead, you’ll easily pay for your attendance fee, and you’ll be so much richer for having attended MOMcation 2012!

Option One: Save Up
Option one is easiest and the most fail-safe of our five options, because it all depends on you.  The early registration deadline is February 19 for MOMcation 2012.  That means there are 5 weeks between now and when the $150 early-bird rate fee is due.  Start your MOMcation fund now.  You’ll need to contribute ~$30 per week to the fund in order to have $150 in your fund by mid February.  Is there something you can cut from your weekly expenses? Is there a change jar you can raid? Sell some old toys on Ebay, Craig’s List, at a consignment sale, or have a garage sale! If you have unexpected savings at the grocery store or on your utility bill, credit the amount you saved toward your MOMcation fund.

You can also forgo the comfort of knowing your spot at MOMcation 2012 is safe by waiting until the final registration deadline to register (provided there are spaces left!). The final registration deadline is April 1.  That gives you 11 weeks to save the $180 regular rate fee.  In this scenario, you need to save $16.36 per week until the beginning of April.  Again, get creative and think hard about where you can come up with $17 per week.  You can do this!

Option Two: Put it on Your Wish List
If you’re like most MOMs, you don’t even know what to ask for when it comes to your birthday, Valentines Day, or Mothers Day.  Why not ask for a MOMcation?  Multiple family members/friends can go in on it together (and we’ll provide them with a certificate they can present to you at gift giving time).

MOMcation 2012 is slated to fall one month before Mothers Day, and we can’t think of a more perfect gift.  What a great way for your family to show MOM how much they love her: give her an opportunity to relax, refresh, and renew!  Everyone is a winner!

Option Three: Get a Scholarship
We will be offering at least two full scholarships to attendees who demonstrate financial need in 2012.  This option is a bit of a gamble, but if you’re having a hard time scraping up that $16 per week mentioned in option one above, telling us about it on your scholarship application might get you a free ride.  Go to http://momcation.org/scholarship to learn more.

Option Four: Find a Sponsor
As event organizers, we rely on sponsors to help us carry the financial cost of putting on MOMcation.  We offer our sponsors advertising opportunities or other perks in exchange for their financial support.  You can use this same model to get an attendance sponsor for MOMcation 2011.  Not to say this method won’t require a little MOM moxie on your part.  Put together a list of what you can do for your prospective sponsor.  Maybe you can volunteer some of your time and skills to help the company or organization.  If you’re savvy with social networking, you could promise a blog post, promotion via Facebook, or a certain number of tweets before, during, and after MOMcation.  If you’re approaching your employer, you could explain how attending the event will be beneficial to you in your job, or that it will improve your mental health and well being and result in a more efficient, effective employee!  Present your plan to your prospective sponsor(s) with loads of enthusiasm and see what happens.

Option Five: Have Uncle Sam Pay For It
Might you be expecting a refund on your taxes this year?  Get your taxes filed as soon as you can and earmark some of your tax refund for some professional development (aka MOMcation).  Then, you can write it off as a job expense on your 2011 taxes!  (Ok, probably not, but it’s still a great way to use your refund!)

No matter how you fund it, we know you’ll get your money’s worth at MOMcation 2012. If you have any questions, concerns, or other creative ways to fund a MOMcation, please let us know!

Registration for MOMcation 2012 officially opens today with our special early bird price of $150 for the entire weekend! It’s all inclusive, so that fee covers food, lodging, activities, and some pretty cool swag. We know what you’re thinking, though. You’re wondering, “What is a MOMcation?” (watch this) and “What if I don’t know anyone? Worse yet, what if they don’t like me?” (read this). Or, maybe you ponder, “What would my husband and kids do without me?” (they’ll live).  No matter what pops into your brain when you hear the word MOMcation,  you’ll find inspiration below in the top five reasons why you should consider attending MOMcation 2011!

5) The opportunity to eat meals prepared, served, and cleaned up by someone else! Plus, much of the food at Heifer Ranch is organically and/or locally grown, so you can feel good about what you are eating.

4) The wonderful feeling of learning new things and gaining new experiences through activities, surroundings, and fellow MOMcationers! Oh, and did we mention the swag?

3) Bond with other moms through easy conversation, deep discussion, swapping books, making s’mores, sharing a bunk…(Bottom bunker seeking top bunker for snore-free, late riser friendship!)… and, fighting over swag.

2) Give dad/grandma/auntie/other willing caretaker the opportunity to hang with the kids for a full weekend without you breathing down their neck with rules, rules, rules!!  Honestly, many of those who took kid duty during MOMcation 2011 reported having an excellent weekend, and gaining additional respect for MOM!

1) MOMcation is the most affordable, accessible, and comfortable way to get away from all of life’s responsibilities for a while and just relax, refresh, and renew. As one travel agent mom said, “You can’t go anywhere for 150 dollars!”

MOMcation is put together by a committee of volunteer MOMs, and we do our absolute best to make sure that everyone has a great time.  MOMcation truly is a retreat for every MOM.  But, you don’t have to take our word for it.  Check out this recap of MOMcation 2010 from Today’s THV:

If you’re interested in attending MOMcation 2012 but are concerned about the cost, check out this blog post which features some creative ways to pay for your MOMcation!