RnT Cleveland - our summer home

Many of you have asked . . .

Why is RnT Cleveland moving from Velvet Dog in downtown Cleveland?

 

Some of the top reasons we’re excited to be at Glow Teen Club in North Olmsted?

• Free Parking!
• Super easy interstate access
• No stairs!
• Smaller venue for the summer months in anticipation of smaller crowds. Since RnT does not make us a profit, we need to be very conscious about the amount of money we are spending on our venues.  We’ll be back downtown for the fall/winter months, but not necessarily at Velvet Dog, though we love that place!

We are also exploring a visit to the Akron/Canton area, and maybe Toledo & Columbus?

We hope to see you on June 14th at Glow Teen Club (29047 Lorain Road in North Olmsted)! 

It’s a super fun space with neon paint, flashy disco lights, a cozy room for the crawlers only/nursing moms and of course, all of the other super fun activities you’ve become accustomed to at RnT events!

Spread the word, tell your friends, bring your family. 

See you on the dance floor,

Naomi

Happy Mother’s Day

It was so much fun to see all of the moms out yesterday for RnT in Cleveland!  Congratulations to the winner of our mother’s day giveaway. 

One of my current favorite songs is “Better” by Toby Lightman.  It’s a perfect Mother’s Day song . . . here are the lyrics.

He’ll be enough to make you cry
He’ll be enough to open your eyes
To all the little things that make this world better
He’ll give you love you never know
He’ll give his heart only to you
And he’ll make your life oh better

So when he comes to you in the middle of the night
Cause he’s scared to be alone in the dark
You’ll tell him everything’s gonna be alright

Cause I will be your light
I will be your night
I will be that star in the sky who watches over you

You’ll tell him everything you know
You’ll tell him “oh the plces you’ll go”
So you can be a good man and
make this world better.
You’ll give him all the love you have
Even when he makes you so mad
Keep in mind, that he made your life better.

So when he comes to you and he’s so confused
Because he wants to give his heart to another
You’ll tell him everything’s gonna be just fine

Cause I will be your light
And when the years are going by too fast
and he’s growing up to be big and strong
Know his love for you will last
Even when he doesn’t say it to your face
Even when you have to put him in his place
Know that he’s a love that nothing in this
world can ever replace

Happy Mother’s Day to you all . . . even if it has become a commercialized ‘Hallmark’ holiday.  Wishing you JUST enough of a moment today to yourself to reflect on the past year of motherhood.  Hope it’s been a great one!

Sadly May’s DC Rock-n-Tot is cancelled

It is with great sadness that I have to cancel May’s Rock-n-Tot DC. I’ve struggled with this decision for almost 2 weeks now. In fact I have been so upset and stressed out about it I’ve made myself sick … physically … I have a terrible head cold now because I haven’t been able to sleep or think about anything else.

 

Naomi’s Paid For By Views Like You post is quite timely and probably because I have been struggling so much lately with this decision. I absolutely love producing the Rock-n-Tot events, and all the “behind the scenes” work makes it worth it on the day of the event … seeing everyone having fun with their families and everything coming together; that makes the sleepless nights and thousand items To Do list all worth it.

 

But none of that can happen without ticket sales. And that is where we are in May. We wondered how sales would be once the weather was nice and people could be outside and May has proved we are no match for the great outdoors. Our ticket sales are non existent and Naomi and I have no intention of putting on mediocre events, we want them all to be great. But to be great we need ticket sales.

 

I still think we can have some fantastic fun in the summer. We do have some great things planned in the coming months that I want to see happen. So I am not cancelling the June, July or August events that we have planned. But should it get to two weeks before an event and the ticket sales don’t support having the event, I will once again need to cancel. Moving tickets to a future event or offering refunds will come with a cancellation but I really don’t want to have to cancel.

 

Our summer is planned around these events and I hope that is the same for some of you too.

Paid for by viewers like you . . .

You know how PBS shows are always ended with that phrase?  Quality is most often is synonymous with expensive.  Cutting corners and trying to save a buck typically diminishes the end result.  Which is why anything of quality comes with a price tag. 
 
When starting this venture, Liz and I both explored and researched all of the options in what would result in a quality afternoon for BOTH parents and children.  We strive to include activities that are entertaining for the kids, but also provide some bonding time for families as a whole and offers an environment where parents enjoy themselves as well.
 
Anyone can choose to spend an afternoon at locations where they have a big giant mouse singing music and wile away the hours playing skeeball and chasing your kids around the tubes and slides.  Throw in some mediocre pizza and soda and you leave with a headache, spent a small fortune and all you have to show for it are some trinket toys.
 
We debated the ticket prices for a long time.  Went back and forth on how to determine what ticket prices would cover our costs, but not seem too boding for a large family to purchase an afternoon of quality.  We realized that there are alot of things to factor in (cost of living in various cities, for one).
 
We came up with a formula that we felt was reasonable for an afternoon of fun for an entire family.  Once you purchase tickets,you don’t have to open your wallet again,unless you want to purchase an adult beverage or tip the service vendors.  A “price of admittance” feel was what we both thought was the best option.
 
We have yet to make a profit for the two of us, and have yet to pay ourselves back from our initial investment.  And that’s ok.  It’s ok, because at the heart of Rock-n-Tot is our desire to create an afternoon where families can reconnect.  We both knew that the path of creating Rock-n-Tot would not afford us any extra luxuries or pay for our next vacation.  We both knew that there would be a huge challenge in our efforts to have word-of-mouth advertising alone and we both knew that not every family would find a Rock-n-Tot afternoon something that would regularly make it on their calendar, month after month.
 
What we didn’t know - at the beginning of this - was whether our communities would embrace the idea and support us in our efforts.  

We definitely want this to continue - we both want to have Rock-n-Tot events in our cities for as many months as it is humanly possible.  We also know full well that we rely on “viewers like you” to keep us Rock-n-Tot events as a constant and consistent part of weekend options.
 

Lauri’s Blog Post . . .

Lauri’s Blog

Felicia’s Blog Post . . .

Felicia shot photos of the event on 4/12 in Cleveland and also captured some great shots of you and your kiddos.  She’s busy working on a charity event right now, but we’ll let you know when the photos are up to view and purchase!

FML Photo Design blog

Blog and WIN!

Rock-n-Tot is having it’s first ever contest - a blogging contest - and we want you to win!!!

Just follow the directions below to enter. We are looking forward to reading about your April Rock-n-Tot experiences!!

1) Write a post on your blog about your experience at Rock-n-Tot anytime before 11:59 PM EDT on Friday, May 9, 2008.

2) Make sure to link our website, http://www.rock-n-tot.com in your post.

3) Additionally, please post photos in your blog, if you have them. We love to see Rock-n-Tot in action!

4) Email us the link to your post (rock.n.tot.info@gmail.com) and we’ll be rounding them up all contest long on our blog.
 
WHAT CAN YOU WIN? 
 
Free tickets for four to an upcoming Rock-n-Tot, as well as a prize of our choice from our product giveaway closet!!!

There will be a prize package awarded in each city!!

We look forward to hearing from you, reading about your experience and seeing your pictures!

It’s all about community . . .

Yesterday’s Rock-n-Tot event in Cleveland was another smashing success.  So many of you came out again to spend some quality time with your families!

It’s so exciting to see folks from everywhere in the Cleveland area. It no longer matters where you live, or whether you’re from the west side or the east side.  Coming together for an afternoon for the common goal of enjoying your kiddos.

Rock-n-Tot truly is about quality and community.  We rely on word-of-mouth to get the word out, and appreciate the help you provide in that arena.  Tell a friend, who will tell a friend - and so on!  We know that you busy parents don’t have much time to read the newspaper, watch the news or listen to the radio, so our efforts at spreading the word through the media isn’t our best option.  Parents trust parents, and we appreciate your help in creating a buzz about Rock-n-Tot!

If you are part of a mom’s group, share info about Rock-n-Tot and plan a group outing for one of our events!  When you meet a new family, be sure to tell them about these events as another great thing our city (Cleveland and DC both) has to offer.  Spread the word at work . . . tell the dads you work with that Rock-n-Tot is pretty cool for the dads too!  If you blog or participate in an online discussion forum, post away! 

Rock-n-Tot events aren’t just ‘ours’ . . . they’re yours.  We want to make the Rock-n-Tot experience the best it can be.  Feedback is read by both Liz and I and we work hard at not only responding to your comments, but by initiating change.

It’s all about community . . . and about creating an atmosphere where you as parents (and other adults who actively participate in a child’s life) can be encouraged and supported to turn off the tv and spend some time on the dance floor . . . with your kiddos!

Naomi

Amazing Opportunity

Since starting Rock-n-Tot we have met a host of amazing people and I just feel so privileged for this opportunity … so many innovative and hard working mothers and fathers out there … business owners … people who want to spend time with their children while making new friends …

I think its just fantastic that we have had the opportunity to pull something together that gives so many people a place to meet … to get the word out about their products … to spend time with their children … and to make new friends …

I do sometimes wish I could step out from behind the front desk at a Rock-n-Tot and experience it like all of the guests there … I guess I will just have to have my own get-together with all the fabulous people I have gotten to know …

~ Liz

All encompassing

I don’t know if there are any moments during the day when Rock-n-Tot isn’t on my mind … when I am reading magazines I am always keeping an eye open for a new product, service, idea … anything that would help enhance the Rock-n-Tot experience.

When I’m talking to people in the back of my mind I am thinking “What is it that would make the event a great experience for them?” If I find out they own their own business I think, “What could we at Rock-n-Tot do to help get the word out for them?”

I wake up in the morning realizing I’ve had dreams that involved Rock-n-Tot in some way (closer to event dates it is more of a panic I have forgotten something dream)

I believe this is a good sign … this means I am involved in something I truly love … which makes me happy … I may now be a busier mommy but I am also happier … and that can only help my family!!

~Liz