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SoDu Book Club reads Amy Poehler

1/29/2015

Last week we got together to discuss Amy Poehler's autobiography "Yes Please" as many of us got it for Christmas! Brandywine Cellars in SoDu was our host, and wow, do they have some wonderful wine.
It was a great night, with discussions on the myriad of things she covers, from divorce to improv to motherhood to careers. We decided the book was more like a bunch of appetizers than a four course dinner but there are nuggets of wisdom in the meandering tale, from our loveable comedienne.
Some of our favorite quotes...

"Fighting aging is like the War on Drugs. It's expensive, does more harm than good, and has been proven to never end."
"Stop whining about getting old. It's a privilege. A lot of people who are dead wish they were still alive."
"I think we should stop asking people in their 20s what they 'want to do' and start asking them what they don't want to do. Instead of asking students to 'declare their major' we should ask students to 'list what they will do anything to avoid.' It just makes a lot more sense."
"Nobody looks stupid when they are having fun."
"You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are or how good people think you look."
"That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again. 'Good for her! Not for me.'"
"If it's not funny, you don't have to laugh."
"Some people hate the word, and I understand how 'bossy' can seem like a sh*tty way to describe a woman, but for me, a bossy woman is someone to search out and celebrate."
"If you are lucky, there is a moment in your life when you have some say as to what your currency is going to be. I decided early on it was not going to be my looks."
"Saying 'yes' doesn't mean I don't know how to say no and saying 'please' doesn't mean I am waiting for permission."
"Shame makes people abandon their children and drink themselves to death. It also keeps us from true happiness. An apology is a glorious release."
"When you are pregnant you can get away with a lot of sh*t. Women really are at their most dangerous during this time. Your hormones are telling you that you are strong and sexy, everyone is scared of you, and you have a built-in sidekick who may come out at any minute."
"If you can surf your life rather than plant your feet, you will be happier."
"Please don't drive drunk, okay? Seriously. It's so f*cked up. But by all means, walk drunk. That looks hilarious."

So great discussions were had and delicious wine was drunk, but it gets better. I tweeted about our book club meeting and lo and behold what happened later?

Yep, that's right!!! Amy Poehler's organization Smart Girls at the Party favorited our tweet!
Amy famously doesn't use social media but her partners clearly saw our mention of them on twitter and loved that we were having a book club! I couldn't believe it. How flattering!
But it still gets better! I tweeted a picture of that tweet and how geeked out I was about it, and then this...

I mean wow. Color me impressed. So cool.
So join us for our next book club - maybe the author will retweet us next time, or even join us.
Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

(If you want to support SoDu Parents Posse, buy the book at our affiliate link to your right! Thanks!)

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Marcia Martin, Amazing Dog Trainer

1/27/2015

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Never give up! Never give up! Confession: I just got, as many of you know, a new rescue pup on Saturday with only the highest hopes. Well, the addition of this former stray terrier made my house a stressful nightmare the past three days. A dog lover through and through, I actually regretted our decision last night as I slept next to his crate to get him to stop barking at 3am. Desperate, I followed the suggestions of many of you in the group and PM'd dog trainer and SDPP member Marcia Martin (yep, that's her and Cesar Milan) and she called me immediately. She came over and spent two hours with us. Within minutes, she taught our lil shelter pup (who had NO training whatsoever) how to sit. Then she taught him to stop jumping up. And how to stop barking. And how to respect our older dog, our kids, our belongings... Oh and she even helped us with our food obsessed beagle! She and the kids ate on the floor and neither one of the dogs wanted to get anywhere near out of respect. The frenetic energy of our new pup was now calm, sweet, and respectful. It was a lifechanger. I truly have faith that we can now exist as a family with our new addition, now that he knows the rules, rules that she helped us to establish. I was ready to give up, and her guidance and expertise proved to me that anything is possible. Please, if you are in need of help with your furry friend, just one lil thing or a big problem like we had, do yourself a big favor and call Marcia. SHE IS A LIFECHANGER.

Here's how to find this dog whisperer:
http://www.marciasbestdogs.net/

FTC required disclosure: In exchange for this blog post and my endorsement of Marcia's Best Dogs as the Official Dog Trainer of SoDu Parents Posse, I am provided free dog training services. However, I am a very happy customer and all opinions are my own. Some of the content, such as the images, are provided by the pardner for my use. I give permission for this blog post to be used in perpetuity by the pardner as they wish. May seem silly, but legally I gotta say it. Congrats for reading the fine print!

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Kat is Stir Crazy ! - Sears Farm Road Park

1/15/2015

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Some of you may know that I also blog for the amazing Stir Crazy Moms' Guide to Durham, headed up by my friend, the wonderful Katy Bitler Davis. Over the past year, I've had the pleasure of writing up reviews on everything from a balloon festival to preschools to a produce stand. I thought I'd share some of those entries with my SoDu readers.

The first in this series is a very sunny park, perfect for winter days, called Sears Farm Road Park. It's just over the border in Cary, down 55. It would make a great treat for kids after you stop by the new Target.

So go check out my review, and let me know what you think of the park when you give it a try!

http://stircrazymomsofdurham.blogspot.com/2013/09/sears-farm-road-park.html

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Blue Dolphin Aquatics

1/7/2015

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It may be strange to think about swimming during cold weather like this, but with spring right around the corner, now is the time to get those kids back in the water and confident in the pool before summer.

There are many options out there for swim lessons, and Blue Dolphin Aquatics is miles above the rest. SoDu Posse member Stephanie Iraggi is the owner, and she is passionate about helping people learn to swim and love the water.

Their aquatics program is made up of an age-group (5-18) Swim Team and a Swim Academy (lessons). They offer swim lessons for all ages and ability levels, from beginner to advanced technique and from 6 months to adult.

During the Fall-Spring months their lessons take place primarily at the Homestead Aquatic Center in Chapel Hill, about 15 minutes from Southpoint. It's just a quick couple exits down 40, and the indoor pool is zero entry and heated.

During the summer, they continue lessons at Homestead but also travel all over South Durham for your convenience, teaching lessons at local neighborhood pools, including Parkwood Swim Club, Audubon Park, Chancellor’s Ridge, Colvard Farms, Fairfield, Woodlake, Auburn Hills, Hills of Southpoint, Grandale, and more! They come to you, how great is that! I first heard about Blue Dolphin years ago, as I watched their impressive instructors give private and group lessons at the neighborhood pool I belong to, Parkwood Swim Club. They are total professionals.

Blue Dolphin Aquatics experienced instructors enjoy catering each lesson to the individual student’s ability, personality, and concerns. To see a little more about them, take a look at the video below:

Stephanie brings quite a lot to her company. She has been swimming competitively for over 19 years, coaching during the summer for 10 years, and has served as head coach of the Blue Dolphin Aquatics team for about 8 years. She says she loves to learn, and is "always looking for a new method to teach a skill or a novel way to make lessons and practices so fun you don’t realize how hard you are working." As a USA Swimming certified coach she "looks forward to helping you improve your skills, strength, and stamina in the water. Let’s swim!"

What do families think about Blue Dolphin Aquatics? Just search swimming in SoDu Parents Posse's facebook page and you'll see how many of them recommend them! Here's what they have to say:

"We had a great experience with Blue Dolphin Aquatics! The coach tailored each lesson to our child's specific skill level. She was consistently positive and encouraging as she challenged our son to master each skill and stroke." –Christy, parent
"I have only positive things to say about Stephanie and her teaching approach. She not only exemplified extreme professionalism and amazing patience, but also knew just how to engage my son to make lessons fun. My 4 yr old son (then 3) went from not swimming on his own to swimming underwater, jumping freely into the pool and floating all by himself in just one summer! He is just as proud of his himself and his accomplishments as I am. I credit it all to Stephanie’s personality and style. We will definitely be signing up again next summer!" -Janene, parent
"Jason has been taking lessons from Andrea for almost two years now and he has certainly made great strides in improving his strokes and his stamina in the water. Andrea is excellent at communicating with Jason and making him understand the technical motions of each stroke. She has also established a great rapport with Jason so that he wants to do well when he is swimming with her. She has an ability to offer constructive criticism in a way that seems like she is kidding with him yet gets the point across so he can make adjustments to his stroke without feeling like she has put him down or discouraged him. We are looking forward to many more swim lessons with Andrea!" -Ann, parent
"I love swimming! And Coach Stephanie helps me to understand how to do each stroke the right way. I think she is a great swim coach!" -Hannah, swimmer, age 7
"I am 45 years old and have been taking lessons with Coach Stephanie for a month now. I was 26 years old when I first saw a body of water. Until a few weeks ago, I was capable of drowning in water I could stand in.The instruction has made a big difference to how I now feel in the water. Other adults who know how to swim always said "Just jump in, you'll float" - no one understood how disconcerting it is to be in the water swirling around you, let alone jump into it. Coach Stephanie's strategy seems to work well - she's teaching me how to find my own equilibrium, first in shallow water, and to teach simple things like floating on the stomach, and back. She points out subtle things about body position that make a big difference.She is gentle, not hurrying or pushy, and her teaching evolves in accordance with my abilities. She has been able to make me do new things by providing reassurance (I floated in 9 feet of water for the first time in my life, albeit with a snorkeling vest).I liked the fact that I was able to describe my goals at the outset - this has tailored our lessons to meet those goals.Highly recommended for adults." - Archna, adult swimmer
And many many more people sing their praises over at the website!

So are you ready to jump in?
Good news for the new year -
Blue Dolphins Aquatics is offering two special promotions just for SoDu members!

For those ready to experience Blue Dolphins Aquatics for the first time, we are offering a FREE private or family (up to 3 swimmers from the same family) swim lesson. To redeem this promo, mention the code
SoDu15 when you request your lesson. Notes and limitations: No lesson minimum (i.e. you can sign up for just the one lesson if you choose). Lesson must take place between 1/5/15 and 3/31/15. Applies to new registrations only. Lesson must be private or family lesson only; excludes group, semi-private, and swim team. The free lesson does not include the $15 annual registration/insurance fee per swimmer. Subject to availability (fair warning: most of our after-3:30 and weekend slots are full. We do have a list we can put you on so you’ll know if something opens up, though! And we have plenty of before 3:30 options open. Register Here: http://www.bluedolphinsaquatics.com/registration-information)

For those who have already experienced Blue Dolphins Aquatics, we are offering a $10 credit to be used toward your next Swim Lesson or Swim Team fee! To redeem this promo, leave a comment here on the blog about your favorite part of Blue Dolphins Aquatics! Notes and limitations: Only applies to future lessons/team fees. Credit can be applied at any time after 1/1/15. Applies to current and previous students only.

So make a splash in 2015 by signing up with Blue Dolphin Aquatics!

For more information, check out www.bluedolphinsaquatics.com,
email Stephanie at bluedolphinsaquatics {at} gmail.com,
or like them on Facebook!

FTC required disclosure: The above post is a sponsored advertisement. Some of the content, such as the images, are provided by the pardner for my use. I give permission for this blog post to be used in perpetuity by the pardner as they wish. May seem silly, but legally I gotta say it. Congrats for reading the fine print!

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SoDu Book Club reads Amy Poehler

Marcia Martin, Amazing Dog Trainer

Kat is Stir Crazy ! - Sears Farm Road Park

Blue Dolphin Aquatics

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