Moms Mingle & Munch at Matchbox {Event Recap}

 

We had our very first event for Moms — A Mingle and Munch at Matchbox on 14th Street on August 8th, 2018. Of course, we were nervous, excited, and humbled all at the same time. We didn’t know exactly how many moms were going to come, but we were blown away by the support, smiles, conversations, kind compliments, and the wonderful local businesses that helped make our first event happen. A big thanks to award-winning photographer Ana Elena Photography for helping capture the fun of the night (even though the lighting was dim). And a HUGE thanks to Matchbox for hosting us!

Grateful for our Area and the Moms Here

The focus of the night was meant to help welcome moms that are new to the area (green name tags) and meet local moms (purple name tags). Roughly 55-60 moms met, shared pizza provided by Matchbox, had a chance to win one of the twenty giveaways, and got a swag bag. It was pretty amazing! Moms, thank you for taking a step away from the chaos of the nighttime routine to come to enjoy some gal time. I know it is hard to get out of the house sometimes, but hope you felt it was worth it!

Event Recap & Highlights

Matchbox hosted us in their fun, family-friendly environment. Did you know they even offer kids dough to play with while kids wait for their food? We even had a special princess, Belle, come and sing to us from Princess Parties of DC. What a treat! If you are looking for a way to make your kid’s birthday party special, make sure to give them a call and mention DC Moms Blog. We were also able to help decorate our event with five bouquets donated from Lee’s Flower Shop on U Street. At the end of the night, five moms got to walk away with these flowers as a part of the giveaways! 

The highlight of the night was hanging out and meeting moms. We had a mom who was spending her first night (a couple of hours) away from her baby. A mom who had just moved here from NYC and was glad to get to meet some locals. A mom who had been living here for 10 years and was excited to come to the event. And a mom who had moved here a few months ago and even offered a giveaway. All of us had our own wonderful and inspiring stories. Of course, even more fun started when giveaways began thanks to the generous businesses involved. A HUGE thanks to all of these businesses!

Our Mingle and Munch Giveaways Included:

• TWO $50 gift cards to Matchbox {A local favorite}
• TWO Beauty Counter gift sets from Elizabeth Reid {Safer Beauty and Better Choices: yes and yes}
• A District Sitter Date night — this included childcare for a few hours, movie tickets, and a bottle of Rosè {they went above and beyond}
• Kendra Scott Georgetown earring and necklace set {so gorgeous!}
• Itsy Pumpkin Box gift box with an assortment of hand-picked items for little hands {be sure to check out this new local mom-owned business and a great gift for new moms}
• Norwex giftset from Jessica Barton {have you tried Norwex? Read more about it and you will want to}
• Potted Plants from Little Leaf Shop {Need a little pick-me-up? Walk into this store asap!}
• Barre3 on 14th Street Class Passes and Childcare Passes {have you been yet!? If not, you should and be sure to mention DC Moms Blog when you do}
• Complimentary Exam from Washington Injury and Sports Performance Clinic and a foam roller {yes, please!}
• Trader Joe’s on 14th Street bag overflowing with some of their most popular items {Trader Joe’s. Enough said}
• $50 Costco gift card {Food, baby wipes, diapers, toilet paper… awesome place for all the necessities}
• $100 gift card to Wat Massage {I recently got a massage there and LOVED it!}
• The Tale of Jefferson Fox book {BPT books is written by local author Bree Tracey and illustrated by her brother Brooks Tracey. It is a new cornerstone book for DC Area kids’ bookshelves and a perfect gift}
• Five floral bouquets from Lee’s Flower Shop {established in 1945 and is still family owned and operated–a real U Street staple}

Complimentary Swag Bags for Attendees Included:

• $10 card to Matchbox {thanks, Matchbox!}
• Barre3 14th Street coupon code {mention DC Moms Blog when you check it out}
• Children’s National Boo Boo Ice Pack and Band-aid Dispenser {make sure to check out their new parenting site full of quality health advice Rise and Shine}
• The Pencil Grip samples {my two older kids love these and, of course, it’s on Amazon}
• First Aid Kit from Au Pair in America  {don’t hesitate to reach out to Ariel at arubin{at}aupairinamerica.com she’s a plethora of good information}
• Gymboree – Washington, DC Certificate for $0 Initiation Fee {the first class is always free!}
• $10 Beauty Counter gift certificate from Elizabeth Reid {?} 
• Yogi Tea provided by Harris Teeter {ahhh, breathe}
• Rice Krispy Treats provided by Safeway {I may have eaten this myself instead of sharing it}
• Pens from Miss Pixie’s were a popular item to grab on the way out! {this store is a favorite of ours}

This was FUN! We loved meeting local moms and appreciated all of the businesses involved! Several moms asked when our next event is and I am happy to say we are working on some events in the near future. If you weren’t able to make it to this event, we look forward to seeing you at the next one! Make sure to bring a friend along. If you are a business and interested in being involved in our next event, please contact us!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay in the know and of course follow us on social media @dcmomsblog. Cheers to celebrating motherhood with y’all!  Leave a comment below if you attended the event or plan to attend a future gathering. Join us and tell your friends. We are here for YOU and love to hear from you!