Baby Bunching just returned from BlogHer 2010 in the Big Apple, and to say that we had a blast would be an understatement. The conference itself was a wealth of information and contacts, but given that we are BFF’s, our favorite part was that we got to spend an entire weekend together without interruptions from any children at all. This was especially important to Cara, who still carries guilt that her eldest child’s meltdown of nuclear proportions totally wrecked our last attempted reunion with all the kids earlier this year.
We met so many new faces we can’t keep track of them, but we also saw some old friends. Cara realized a longtime dream of meeting the hilarious Stimey, a favorite blogger and fellow Baby Buncher and mom of three boys. We had the good fortune to end up sharing a breakfast table with uber-Buncher Sierra Rix, who has guest-posted on this blog before. We got to say hi to the Justices, organizers of the super-fab Blogalicious conference. Linda even got to run past Bruce Jenner in Central Park, while Cara was tickled by a chance encounter with Mrs. Potato Head at the lunch buffet. Linda enjoyed a great ride up and back on the Hershey's S'more Road Trip to BlogHer, where she met BabytobeTV and found out that she, too, is a Baby Buncher. Yes, a good time was had by all.
Top Ten Things We Loved About BlogHer/Baby Bunching Reunion 2010:
1. It was in New York. This was especially a bonus for Cara, who had only visited once before - with a strap-on four-month old in the Bjorn. To enjoy the city kid-free was decadent, to say the least.
2. Soaking up the contents of the Metropolitan Museum of Art over a leisurely two-day period - without kids.
3. Standing in line at the Gershwin Theater in the hopes of winning the $25 Wicked ticket lottery. No, we didn’t win - but we had a damn good time standing in line - something we never would’ve been able to do with our kids.
4. Killing time waiting for Wicked tickets drinking Wickedtinis at Azalea (right next door). Admittedly, we did think of how much the kids would get a kick out of this oddly eerie illuminating green glowing beverage. But it was still nice to be able to sip them at a leisurely pace in a real, live grown-up bar.
5. Cocktail-hour reunion (courtesy of Facebook) with one of Cara’s dear friends from grade school on the roof of the Dream Hotel. Drinks, 20 years worth of catch-up chatter, and a serene rooftop location. No need to further explain why the kids wouldn’t have been welcome here.
6. Cocktails and dinner with Linda’s brother, replete with leisurely people-watching over coffee from the cafe.
7. A run/walk (Linda and Cara, respectively) through Central Park. Could’ve done this with kids, but there would’ve been a lot more whining about the lack of available water fountains there.
8. A stroll through crowded, pulsing Times Square and brief stop in the M&M store there. We were really glad the kids weren’t there for this one.
9. Scoring free conference swag toys for our kids.
10. Going home to our kids.
So yeah, there were a lot of cocktails now that we look at it. But we also responsibly attended every conference session and even split up so that we could soak up as much information as possible. We’re looking forward to synthesizing what we learned and strategizing to bring you a new-and-improved Baby Bunching community.
Loved reading this after hearing Linda's stories on the drive to NoVa from BWI. It really was a bit of a dream to have a whole weekend to myself...
Posted by: Kate Coveny Hood | Aug 11, 2010 at 03:38 AM
Disclaimer: I am just now managing to get all the way back to early August in my reader. Many apologies.
It is AMAZING how different life is when you are out without your kids. It is also amazing how much better time with your kids is after you've had a little break.
Cara, it was a pleasure to meet you. I wish we could have had more time. I'm so sorry I had to rush off.
Posted by: Stimey | Sep 04, 2010 at 07:52 PM