Working Mom’s Luncheon – Dinner Diagnosed

Dinnertime Strategies at Mom’s Lunch

child holding apples
We’re changing dinner from chaos to calm at our Working Mom’s Luncheon with special guest Elizabeth Marcotte of Let’s Dish.

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June 7th, 11:30am – 1:30pm

Seasons 52, Tysons Corner

You’ll learn strategies and tips for feeding your family healthy, affordable, and fast meals, without having to transform into some kind of modern day June Clever. We’ll even talk about introducing your kids to new foods, managing the sports season chaos, navigating allergies, raising healthy teens, and much more.

It’s like therapy, but better and with dessert. We hope you can make it.

Have a great week!

Cynthia & the Board

P.S. Have you checked out Pinterest yet? It’s a visual bookmarking slash social media site that makes finding new recipes super easy! Need an invite? Just let us know!

Working Mom's Luncheon

Working Mom’s Luncheon

with Elizabeth Marcotte of Let’s Dish

Wednesday, June 7th, 11:30am – 1pm
Learn more and register      

 

Elizabeth MarcotteIt’s time for you to dine, whine, cojole, commiserate and learn some tips on surviving and thriving in motherhood!

 

Have you seen those TV shows and commercials of loving families gathered around the table, happily consuming veggies and roast beef? Well, we know where the term “fiction” comes from, it’s that very image of calm, peaceful children eating something without being covered in ketchup.

 

In this program we will discuss barriers to getting a healthy dinner on the table and strategies on how to break them down. Attendees will learn tips about introducing children to new foods, managing sports season chaos, navigating allergies, raising healthy teens and more.

 

Elizabeth will share statistics about the value and importance of eating dinner as a family and how to get it done. Dinner should be one of the most positive and supportive times of the day for every member of the family. Put down the pizza menu and get ready for a whole new way to turn dinner time from stressful into your new most favorite time of the day.

BONUS! There will be a Let’s Dish gift for all attendees!

LOCATION

Seasons 52
Tyson’s Corner Center Level 1
7863L Tysons Corner Center
Suite N11L
McLean, VA 22102

PRICES

Members
$48
NAWBO & Lipstick Rocks Members
$50
Non-Members
$59

register now button

FUTURE DATES
October 4th, guest TBD

About Success In the CityNEWSLETTER head new logo

Success in the City (SITC) is an executive women’s organization for smart, unique, and driven women.  We are a community focused on celebrating women’s success and accomplishments and providing a rich network of shared experiences, and professional resources.  A SITC woman has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and seeks to cultivate community, share wisdom, and foster knowledge with other accomplished women.

We are by, for and about women business leaders who desire and deserve a unique community experience.

 Today, Success in the City is comprised of some of the most influential women business leaders in the Metro D.C. Area.  With a dedicated membership, we have established a place where friendships come first, business booms, and laughter is always in style.


Are You Ready? You Don’t Look Ready……

Change is Happening. Are You Ready?

woman holding YES sign

PowerUp Your
Transitions & Transformations

Thursday, April 26th, 4:00pm – 7:00pm
Vienna, VA
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It’s not too late to save your spot for our next PowerUp event this Thursday. Whether you’re planning a change, in the midst of a transition, or just want to be prepared when the inevitable change comes your way, this event will help you make the most of life’s one true constant.

If you have that feeling that change is afoot in your life you just might want to read our latest blog “The Gut Wrenching, Scary and Seemingly Unreasonable Call to Transform, Transition and Change” about this very subject. And if you see yourself here then this is the life-changing transformational event for you!

We have an amazing panel of change makers and shift experts ready and willing to help you with your personal growth and development. We hope to see you there!

Have a great week!

Cynthia & the Board

 

P.S. Remember, members can use their “5 Free Events” towards PowerUp and CEO Chick Chat events. Just choose the “Member – Using one of My 5 Free Events” option when you register and you can attend the event on us!

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Power Up

PowerUp Your Transitions & Transformations
Thursday, April 26th, 4pm – 7pm
Learn more and register  

change buttonIf only there was an easy button for change…..

On Thursday, April 26th we will be hosting our next PowerUp Success series event, PowerUp Your Transformation and Transitions. In this intriguing panel discussion our panelists will share their personal stories of recognizing the need for and managing critical shifts in their own lives, business and careers. We will further explore how, when we recognize that it’s time for a change, we can develop a road-map for making the journey with fewer road blocks along the way.

Dr. Tara Coles
Dr. Tara Coles

Dr. Tara Coles is the Founder and CEO of ArtNest.com, an online marketplace and platform dedicated to supporting artists and art and culture in local economies. She also is practicing board certified Emergency Medicine Physician  and is raising four children. She is an entrepreneur at heart, a graduate of ACTiVATE sponsored by Path Forward Center for entrepreneurship, and a graduate of the DC Founder Institute. She is interested in geriatric medicine, palliative care, preventive medicine, public health, the intersection of art and technology, art education, and art advocacy. She is an avid reader, lifelong learner, and connector who values kindness, compassion, and community above all.  She holds a B.S. in Psychology from Haverford College, an MD from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at Boston Medical Center where she was Chief Resident.

Norma Long Byron is the President and founder of Ashlawn Energy, LLC. Formed in 2008, Ashlawn Energy innovates vital energy storage solutions to challenges facing the communities in which we participate. Ashlawn Energy brought the vanadium redox flow battery energy storage technology to the United States and is currently producing systems for the electric grid at grid scale. Ashlawn Energy is a major provider for grid-scale electrical storage. The technology is well suited for incorporating wind, solar, utility and industrial peak management. Ashlawn has established key support from the electricity market, our industrial strategic alliance partners, and from the communities in which we operate. She is currently establishing U.S. manufacturing operations in northeast Ohio.

Christie Mims
Christine Mims

Christie Mims is The Radical Fairy Godmother to the Woman Trapped in Her Suit. A job reinvention specialist, she is a certified professional career and transition coach with a background working for Fortune 500 companies. As a former business unit director in a top consulting firm, she has been there, done that, and worn those uncomfortable shoes. So, while she knows that career transition is hard, it doesn’t have to be lonely!

www.therevolutionaryclub.com

LOCATION

Ameriprise
8045 Leesburg Pike
Vienna, VA 22182

PRICES

Members
$45
Members – Using a “5 Free”
FREE
NAWBO & Lipstick Rocks Members
$55
Non-Members
$65

register now button

FUTURE DATES
July 19th, topic TBD
November 15th, topic TBD

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CEO Chick Chat

International CEO Chick Chat with The Albright Group
Wednesday, May 16th, 7:30am – 9am
Learn more and register  
Albright Group  

The Danish Network Albrightgruppen (Albright Group) will will be making a special visit to the United States and is eager to meet you! Albright Group was founded in 2005 by communications consultant Signe Wenneberg, a Danish Journalist and public figure recognized as the “Martha Stewart of Denmark” who was inspired by former US Secretary Madeleine Albright after meeting her at a dinner party in Copenhagen 2004.

Ms. Albright then emphasized the importance of female networking and the value of learning from men, whom, as she put it, have been skilled networkers for centuries. Ms. Albright visited the group in Denmark for a round-table discussion and lunch in 2008 celebrating their founding.

Comprised of approximately 70 women leaders throughout Denmark Albright Group women, like Success in the City women desire to make a difference for other women and throughout the world.

We will launch our breakfast conversation with a universal language and experience topic that impacts successful women from around the world; stress. Whether jet-setting, managing a meeting, getting kids to and from their activities, looking like you have it “all together”, or just reviewing your daily calendar, life’s demands can seem impossible. Often, we resort to coping with sense of just being plain overwhelmed. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Mary LauttamusWe will begin our gathering with our very special guest presenter Mary Partlow Lauttamus,  a registered Yoga Teacher & Professional Yoga Therapist whose practice is specialized in working with busy executive women. You won’t need a yoga mat or sweats because Mary will share key yoga tips, postures, strategies and meditative techniques you can do anywhere, in stilettos, while on the go and dashing between meetings or in a brief moment of solitude to help you become centered and discover a moment of calm.

LOCATION

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
2300 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20037

PRICES

Members
$10
Members – Using a “5 Free”
FREE
NAWBO & Lipstick Rocks Members
$35
Non-Members
$55

register now button

FUTURE DATES
September 12th, guest TBD

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Working Mom's Luncheon

Working Mom’s Luncheon

with Elizabeth Marcotte of Let’s Dish

Thursday, June 7th, 11:30am – 1pm
Learn more and register      

Elizabeth MarcotteIt’s time for you to dine, whine, cojole, commiserate and learn some tips on surviving and thriving in motherhood!

Have you seen those TV shows and commercials of loving families gathered around the table, happily consuming veggies and roast beef? Well, we know where the term “fiction” comes from, it’s that very image of calm, peaceful children eating something without being covered in ketchup.
In this program we will discuss barriers to getting a healthy dinner on the table and strategies on how to break them down. Attendees will learn tips about introducing children to new foods, managing sports season chaos, navigating allergies, raising healthy teens and more.

Elizabeth will share statistics about the value and importance of eating dinner as a family and how to get it done. Dinner should be one of the most positive and supportive times of the day for every member of the family. Put down the pizza menu and get ready for a whole new way to turn dinner time from stressful into your new most favorite time of the day.

BONUS! There will be a Let’s Dish gift for all attendees!
LOCATION

Seasons 52
Tyson’s Corner Center Level 1
7863L Tysons Corner Center
Suite N11L
McLean, VA 22102

PRICES

Members
$48
NAWBO & Lipstick Rocks Members
$50
Non-Members
$59

register now button

FUTURE DATES
October 4th, guest TBD

shoes icon

membership button

In This Issue
Power Up Your Transitions & Transformations
The Albright Group
Working Mom’s Luncheon

MANY THANKS TO OUR TIER ONE SPONSORS
Tier 2 Sponsors VerticalComputer Medics

MANY THANKS TO OUR TIER TWO SPONSORS

Tier Two Sponsors as of January 18, 2011

Socially Ahead
About Success In the CityNEWSLETTER head new logo
Success in the City (SITC) is an executive women’s organization for smart, unique, and driven women.  We are a community focused on celebrating women’s success and accomplishments and providing a rich network of shared experiences, and professional resources.  A SITC woman has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and seeks to cultivate community, share wisdom, and foster knowledge with other accomplished women.

We are by, for and about women business leaders who desire and deserve a unique community experience.
Today, Success in the City is comprised of some of the most influential women business leaders in the Metro D.C. Area.  With a dedicated membership, we have established a place where friendships come first, business booms, and laughter is always in style.

Success in the City
Success in the City
successinthecity.org
Forward email

 


American Redcross “A Salute to Service” Gala on May 12, 2012

ncrgala 

 

“A SALUTE TO SERVICE” GALA

Supports the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region

April 15, 2012: The American Red Cross will honor men and women of the military and their families at its “Salute to Service” Gala on Saturday, May 12th 2012 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The celebration is the largest fundraising event of the year for the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region. Funds raised are be transformed into services delivered every day in our community.

Tickets can be purchased at: http://american.redcross.org/ncrgala

Further information is on our website at www.redcrossnca.org. Follow the gala on Twitter at #RedCrossGala2012.

Kay Kapoor, Managing Director and Chief Executive, Accenture Federal Services, is chairing the event. Accenture is the Presenting Sponsor of the Gala.

This year’s honorees are Admiral Michael (Mike) Mullen and Deborah Mullen. Emcee for the event will be Lieutenant General Russel Honoré. The gala will present the first Distinguished Woman Warrior Award to Danielle Green-Byrd, who is a former Notre Dame Basketball standout who lost her lower left arm and hand when serving with the U.S. Army in the Iraq war in May 2004.

Opera star Denyce Graves will sing the National Anthem. Entertainment will be provided by 4Troops, a group of United States combat veterans. Col. Gregory Gadson will present awards to Wounded Warriors and VIP Guest is Lt. Heather Penney.

Committee members include Carl H. McNair, Jr., Major General, US Army (RET), Corporate Advisory Board, CPS Professional Services, LLC, who is the Co-Chair of Military Outreach and Lillian and Thomas Robison, who are Co-Chairs of the Auction. Other committee members are Simone Acha, iLuMinA Solutions, Inc.; Doug Beck, ICF; Cheryl Campbell, CGI Federal; Carlos Castillo, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Kimberly Dozier, AP Reporter; Molly Ketcham, Accenture; Dale Koepenich, Chair, Tiffany Circle; Tammy Moore, Service to Armed Forces representative, American Red Cross National Leadership Council; Neena Shenoy, Orca TV, LLC and Sushma Shenoy, IMC.

Local Chairman of the Board, Teresa Carlson, Vice President, Global Public Sector, Amazon Web Services and Chief Executive Officer, Linda C. Mathes serve on the committee as well.

 

Contact: Cheryl Kravitz, APR,CFRE
Communication Director
American Red Cross in the National Capital Region
(p) 240-485-3005 (c)301- 580-8905

crk725@aol.com or cheryl.kravitz@redcross.org

 

www.redcrossnca.org






So Good, So Fun, So Wow!

So Much Good. So Little Cost.     

March is filling up with amazing, one-of-a-kind events, like our Free
Know & Tell Conference Call announcing new Facebook features for your business brand, our  Member + Friend Lunch, and CEO Chick Chat with Terri Lee Freeman, President of the National Capital Region Community Foundation. Best of all, if you’re a member, you can attend all of these events for free! Here’s how:

Know & Tell Conference Call – Monday, February 27th, 12noon – 1pm.
This free session will give you a jumpstart on converting your Page to the Timeline format, which Facebook will make available on February 29th! Register below, and we’ll send you participation details at 9am EST on Monday morning in advance of the call at 12pm! We’ll also send you a gallery of images that you can peek at during the call, but if you can only participate by phone, that’s fine, too!

Member + Friend Lunch – Friday, March 2nd, 11:30am – 1pm.
Put away that credit card. Members, all you have to do to register is fill out the online form. Want to bring a friend? Fill out your information first, then complete your friend’s. Super simple. Super fabulous.

CEO Chick Chat – Wednesday, March 14th, 7:30am – 9am.
Now, it’s even easier to get your monthly dose of inspiration. Members can attend up to 5 events from our CEO Chick Chat or PowerUp series for free in 2012. Just click the “Members Using One of 5 Free Events” option when you register. How fantastic is that?

Keep your eyes peeled for even more incredible events coming your way. And, as always thanks for your support. We are amazing because YOU are amazing!

Cynthia & the Board

 

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free lunch heartWho Says There’s No Such Thing as Free Lunch?
Luncheon for Members and their Registered Guests
Friday, March 2nd, 11:30am – 1:30pm
Learn more and register 

 

Your membership deserves recognition and we want to bestow upon you our platitudes, gratitude and appreciation for just how smart and savvy we know you are! Of course when you are being bestowed such honors and recognition it is nice to have your friends witness just how special you are.

 

It is our pleasure to cordially invite you to our free and bring a friend Washington, DC luncheon. There is limited seating so please sign up today. Afterall, it’s fun, it’s free and it’s all about you!

 

 LOCATION

Cuba Libre
801 9th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

Sponsored by:

One Medical Group

About our Sponsor

The doctor’s office. Reinvented.
One Medical is a boutique, member-supported doctor’s office.  We designed our practice around the patient and not the doctor.

 

Some of our unique member benefits include:
*Same-day, on time appointments
*Access to a team of primary care doctors, referrals to the best specialists
*Direct email access to your provider
* Online appointment booking and Rx renewals
*Most forms of PPO and HMO insurance accepted

 

Visit One Medical for more details.

 

Success in the City is excited to welcome One Medical to DC at their two downtown locations and we know you will be too. One Medical is thrilled to offer guests who attend an exclusive, complimentary first-year membership for a limited time.

register now button

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CEO Chick Chat

CEO Chick Chat with
Terri Lee Freeman
President of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region
Wednesday, March 14th, 7:30am – 9am
Learn more and register  

Terri Lee FreemanThe open hand of giving is always full! We love this saying and believe you will find this a core value of Terri Lee Freeman, President of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region!

Philanthropy is recognized as a cornerstone of sharing success. It is a method of giving back and sharing in a positive way within our own communities and our gifts with the world at large.

Terri Freeman, President of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region for the past 14 years, is responsible for furthering the mission of The Community Foundation to strengthen the metropolitan Washington region by encouraging and promoting effective giving and demonstrating leadership on critical community issues.

The Foundation advocates for change on improving public education systems, expanding workforce development programs opportunities and regional efforts to reduce growing disparities of education, income and quality of life. Under Ms. Freeman’s leadership, the Foundation’s assets have grown six-fold since 1996 establishing the Foundation as the largest local grant maker in the metropolitan Washington region, and one of the top fifty foundations nationwide, with grants of nearly $59 million in fiscal year 2011.

ABOUT MS. FREEMAN
Prior to joining The Community Foundation, Ms. Freeman was the founding executive director of the Freddie Mac Foundation, one of the largest corporate foundations in the metropolitan Washington region.

 

Ms. Freeman obtained her bachelor’s degree in Journalism/Communication Arts from the University of Dayton in 1981 and received a master’s degree in organizational communication management from Howard University in 1983.  She is married to the Reverend Bowyer Freeman and has three daughters.

 LOCATION

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
2300 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20037

PRICES

Members
$10
Members – Using a “5 Free”
FREE
NAWBO & Lipstick Rocks Members
$35
Non-Members
$55

register now button

shoes icon

membership button

In This Issue
Free Member Lunch
CEO Chick Chat

MANY THANKS TO OUR TIER ONE SPONSORS
Tier 2 Sponsors VerticalComputer Medics

MANY THANKS TO OUR TIER TWO SPONSORS

Tier Two Sponsors as of January 18, 2011

Socially Ahead
About Success In the CityNEWSLETTER head new logo
Success in the City (SITC) is an executive women’s organization for smart, unique, and driven women.  We are a community focused on celebrating women’s success and accomplishments and providing a rich network of shared experiences, and professional resources.  A SITC woman has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and seeks to cultivate community, share wisdom, and foster knowledge with other accomplished women.

We are by, for and about women business leaders who desire and deserve a unique community experience.
Today, Success in the City is comprised of some of the most influential women business leaders in the Metro D.C. Area.  With a dedicated membership, we have established a place where friendships come first, business booms, and laughter is always in style.

Success in the City
Success in the City

Referrals – It’s A Diva Thing!

A fellow diva and new friend, Deborah Rudman, who is VP of Marketing at Paine Bluett Paine, met with me yesterday to visit over an afternoon glass of iced tea.  We immediately clicked, like divas are want to do, and enjoyed a delightful conversation about our families, business, life’s journey and our dreams for the future.

Soon, our discussion let to the challenges of networking and connecting with the right audience, other professionals, business opportunities ultimately leading to new clients.  We both agreed that the very best business is that which comes by way of referrals.  At Succes in the city we embrace a “zero” tolerance solicitation policy. However, we do encourage blabbing, blurbing, gabbing, raving, endorsing and heartily referring business through and among those we know that provide quality products and services with integrity with a bit of style and panache thrown in the mix.

After all, it’s our reputation that can be on the line when making a referral. 

Deborah shared this article below by Jerry Hocott with me about the subject of referrals, so please enjoy and make sure that you are making and asking for referrals!

Get More Referrals

Pssst! Don’t Keep Me a Secret
by Jerry Hocutt

Got a nice letter and money making idea from one of my students in New York City, Marvin Brown, president of Contact Strategies.  I called him the next day and had a great visit.  We haven’t seen each other since 2003, so I was excited that he still remembered me and thought enough to send me his good news.
Marvin has just started his own speaking and sales training business focused on financial services and included several of his students’ glowing reviews of his recent Las Vegas programs.  One student’s comments caught my eye.  He said he liked Marvin’s technique of “Never use or think of the word referral”, but instead use “Don’t keep me a secret.”  I asked Marvin if he could expand on the “secret”.“Look,” Marvin said, “if I give you a referral for a nice restaurant here in the city, I’m not doing the restaurant a favor.  I’m doing you a favor.  If I give you a referral for a movie, I’m not doing Steven Spielberg a favor, I’m doing you a favor.  I don’t want to keep good things a secret from my friends.”

Marvin said one of his best techniques for getting referrals (he sells intangibles) is to comment to his new customer, “Please don’t keep me a secret from your friends.  Do them a favor.  Most of my clients think everyone has a financial advisor.  Sadly, the majority of people don’t.  When you’re talking with your friends about financial matters, please feel free to mention my name and give them a chance to meet me.  Maybe I can help them as much as I’ve helped you.”

Age-old problem

Asking for referrals has been an age-old problem for all walks of sales.  Marvin’s got the right idea.  Don’t think of the customer as doing you a favor by giving up the names of her friends and contacts.  Help her to realize she’s doing her friends a favor by getting the two of you together.  For example, I like to refer good books to others, not so the author can make more money, but because readers will benefit from the author’s ideas and experiences.  I tell others about a good website because I know prior conversations indicated the site has information they’ve been searching for.The words we use to ask for referrals are also important.  “Don’t keep me a secret” is more personal than “Got a referral?”  The secret phrase brings a smile to the lips.  And by stating “give them a chance to meet me” instead of asking “will you give me their number so I can call” gets them to slide their contact information to you without feeling conflicted.I’ve often mentioned Joe Girard’s (Guinness Book of Records’ #1 salesman in the world) bird dog kit for referrals and how it helped me lead the nation in referrals for four years while at a Fortune 1000 company.  (You can learn more about his referral program, how I modified it to be used with today’s technology, and how I still get tons of referrals  from it by downloading my free e-book Creating Sales Opportunities – 5 Proven Ways.)  Now I’m going to incorporate Marvin’s ideas with my referral techniques.  They must work.  I’m referring him to thousands of our Snippets readers.     


New Media Nouveaux

How to make your audience fall madly, deeply, passionately, crazy in love with you, your message and your business

The social networking revolution is propelling change that is pervasive and moves so quickly that it is difficult for even the most strident of those who are media savvy to keep pace. So what does this have to do with you and your company, well just about everything. 

Blogs; personal, corporate, political, business, pithy, funny, witty, sassy, sardonic or just plain commercial are now part of our culture. Even national media uses blogs today for comment on the “man-on-the-street” views related to current and breaking news.

Join us for an incredible one-day conference on lucky Friday, July 13 at the Tower Club in Vienna, VA from 8 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., that will give you insight, tips, strategies, plans, processes and resources, for conquering the new media revolution. You will walk away ready to implement your media strategy and attract attention to you, your business and the great products and services you have to offer.


Prescription; Network with a Few Women and Call Me in the Morning

Founding Success in the City (SITC), a social networking organization for senior level executive women, CEO’s and entrepreneurs was an accidental discovery.  Out of one networking event, following a move to Washington, D.C. 4-years ago, to find a few new friends and meet women of like minds, careers, challenges, and dreams, SITC was born. An organization that has experienced phenomenal growth beyond what I could have begun to even imagine. 

While I have known, both consciously and intuitively, that we were on something big I often pondered the basis of our success.  Why was something that almost appears to be frivolous fun sparking such interest, involvement and commitment by so many successful women?   A recent UCLA STUDY ON FRIENDSHIP AMONG WOMEN by Gale Berkowitz may hold the key. Read on and let us know what you think.


Dear Gentle Reader,

My Publicist, Geoff Livingston, has been after me for more than a year to begin writing a Blog.  And when, prêt ell, am I supposed to find time to do that? With writing a book, leading an organization, Success in the City, of fab, fantastic, incredible women, founding two new company’s, GoGawGaw, & de Lorenzi Group as well as restructuring another business Patriot Computer Group.   

So what’s another commitment to be witty, pithy and writing it all down several times a week? Yes Geoff, I promise to make it happen (wink, wink)!   

Aha, in a moment of brilliance found when a group of savvy women come together; the idea of sharing a blog was conceived.  Together, with other divas you will meet at Powder Room Diaries, we have created our own glog (group log).   In the Ladies Powder Room tears are dabbed away, girdles, bras, thongs and pantyhose adjusted, makeup retouched, hair sprayed, lipstick applied, secrets whispered and reputations made, destroyed and restored.  We’re here to share pearls of wisdom that come on the way to, while in and out of the ladies room.   

And so you have it, the Ladies Powder Room; a haven, a place of relief and retreat, a harbinger of secrets, humor, wisdom, beauty and the best darn place around to learn about the world.  Enjoy! – Cynthia de Lorenzi