A Weekend For Me – #MomsMeTimeTO @RenaissanceTO

This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending time with a crowd of AMAZING women in Toronto at #MomsMeTimeTO held at The Renaissance Hotel.

We had all planned on being in Toronto and managed to organize a Tweet Up of sorts where we had speakers, discussions and some truly beautiful sharing!

In hindsight this all came together quickly, within 4 days via the power of social media. After some tweets from folks who were going to be in Toronto @RenaissanceTO generously offered us use of a meeting room for FREE and next thing we knew we had some women who were willing to share their insight and Brands donating some gifts to be used as prizes.

If you are planning a trip to Toronto,  The Renaissance Toronto Downtown  is the hotel I’d recommend. From the spacious hotel rooms, the view from Arriba restaurant to the beautiful centerpieces in the conference room this hotel is aware of details and provides each and every comfort I could have thought of.

Voila the #MomsMeTimeTO weekend was alive.

As with any event I had to prepare and hope that my pain levels would allow me to experience the whole event. I actually took it for granted that I’d be fine, this was a casual event and only two half days.

We had a very loose plan, this allowed for everyone to feel relaxed and able to enjoy their time. This glorified tweet up was exactly what many of use needed to help unwind after a Winter spent caring for our families, it was time to focus on ourselves.

Mara Shapiro @ChickyMara blew into Day one like the breath of fresh air that she is. Mara doesn’t sugar coat her opinions and isn’t afraid to challenge people in her vicinity to look at situations differently. Mara reminded me to use my own gut instincts, throw out the parenting books and get back to the basics of taking care of myself first. Cuz if I’m not at my own best chances are I’m not much good to anyone else.

Meghan Graham @ImAMomToo bravely shared what life is like as the mother of 3 children with special needs. Meghan epitomized the feeling of the weekend, women baring their souls to help others become aware that they’re not alone in the challenges of Motherhood. Once again I was honored to be in a room with a woman who is willing to shed light into areas of life which we rarely see.

I had the pleasure of sharing my story as well. I gave a bit of a background by sharing my journey in a nutshell and then led the room in a workshop which allows us to realize the impact our fears have on each area of our life. This took me many years to understand but essentially if we are pushing aside fears we are using up energy which should be spent in a positive way.

Day one closed with us all gathering in my beautiful suite for a pizza party which was generously provided by Mom Central Canada. There were heavenly cake balls provided by Candy Coated Sweets and hours of laughter.

There may have been some dancing/clubbing and some MomsGoneBad style swimming but hey what happens in TO stays in TO right?

In the morning we all headed out to Tim Hortons where we enjoyed coffee and the new breakfast panini!! Thank goodness for Timmies.

Unfortunately for me I missed the rest of Day 2, my body simply had enough and I had to return home to my bed to rest. Thankfully my fellow organizers @LilMissKateCo and @ChancesMommy were there to pick up my slack and I was able to follow on the #MomsMeTimeTO feed and by reading blog posts like THIS ONE.

This weekend happened by the power of social media and the generosity of people and brands. It grew organically and has once again afforded me with a sense of awe…when people gather with a like-minded goal…anything is possible!

Thank you to our amazing host, @RenaissanceTO and to the brands which generously provided prizing  Woodbridge Mom 2 Mom Sale, Old Navy Canada, Glaxal Base Skin Care, Kernels Popcorn, Telus, Dempsters, Sportsnet 590 The Fan, CHFI, and Asterisk Media.