Friday, April 15, 2011
Callaway Gardens art show offers garden and art lovers a place to escape.
Do you feel like your artistic side has taken too long of a creative hiatus? If you love beautiful gardens, painting in the park or buying art featuring Spring’s bountiful display, the Second Annual Plein Air Paint Out, Art Show and Sale at Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, Ga.) is the escape for you. Although this location is a bit of a drive, I have an argument in support of grabbing a girlfriend and enjoying a day away. How many times have you wanted to explore the beauty and literature of a botanical garden? So you drag around your sweating, tired, hungry, and whining family while you try to read the plant markers and explain the origins of rare Japanese ferns. Sound like fun? Take a true break. The azaleas are in peak bloom. …
Friday, April 8, 2011
Experience this luxurious spa escape while keeping your family budget in check.
Do you dream of neck rubs, pedicures or hot tubs? Do you often wake to find that the dream is just too expensive to turn into reality? Well, now you can rethink your way to luxury. I love taking a long, well-deserved break at the Chateau Elan Spa in Braselton, Ga. The Chateau Elan website has many great package offers. They include overnight stays, dining, wine, and multiple spa services. But, if your family is on a budget like mine, you may be scared away by the listed prices. Here are some tips to enjoy this spa getaway for less. The first major tip is that when you purchase any spa treatment, you have full access to the spa for the day. So, that is how I recommend you go. First, review the list of services available on the website. …
Friday, April 1, 2011
When your day gets too loud and your mind is overwhelmed, escape to the BAPS Mandir.
Can you use a bit more quiet time in your life? Some days that seems downright impossible with traffic, the kids and schedules. Nonetheless, we must find a way to quiet our minds, even if for a few moments. I began my escape to peace by visiting the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Lilburn. This unbelievable puzzle-like stone structure in the middle of un-opulent Lilburn welcomes visitors from the community. A short video and peaceful self-guided tour provide many options for quiet reflection. Whether you are spiritual or analytical, you will be moved by the detail of the Mandir. The finite marble ceilings and columns, glorious exterior walls, and carved wood doors are three unforgettable features of a 34,000 piece design free of screws …
Friday, March 25, 2011
When other exercise routines are falling short, you may benefit from having a personal trainer and yes, boot camp.
I asked some mom friends in Tucker where they are hanging out. Surprisingly, the answer was not a local restaurant or coffee shop, but a gym. More specifically, Eric’s Fit Lab and his treasure chest of personal trainers seems to be the rage of Tucker. When I inquired further about unique activities at Eric’s, multiple fingers pointed me toward personal trainer Jennifer Allen’s boot camps. Allen has been a trainer since 2007 and as a mother of three, she knows how hard it is keep up with your kids and why exercise is so critical to our health. What is even harder, for some of us, is to take the first step in taking care of ourselves. We have excuses and to do lists. Then we have some past failures, such as expired gym memberships and …
Friday, March 18, 2011
Has the art behind your cooking gotten lost in your daily routine? Escape to Cook's Warehouse for a cooking class and shopper's delight.
Mention a pot-luck dinner and some women cringe and offer to bring drinks. Others get a rueful smile and begin mentally preparing a fancy Cherry Clafoutis. The rest of us fall somewhere in the middle. We cook with the intention of survival: feed our family, honor the food pyramid, make it to soccer on time. Food is more than survival. It is memorable. We affiliate warm family memories around a good homemade pasta, just right cornbread or Aunt Edna’s special apple pie. It is time to revive the art of cooking. Explore flavors, spices, new cuisine and new tools to culture enjoyment of the meal preparation. Cooking moms unite! There is a specialty store that can help us all: The Cook’s Warehouse in Decatur. Start channeling your Chef…
Friday, March 11, 2011
Feel like you've lost some creative edge? For many women, refocusing your perspective is as easy a looking through a camera lens.
Let’s talk pictures. We all have photos. Shoe boxes of old high school pictures. Digital albums of our children’s first moments. But, where do the moms disappear to in the more recent shots? Yes, we are always trying to capture the moment -- herding our husbands, children, and even pets to all look at the camera at the exact moment the sunrise peers over the trees and the dog stops licking peanut butter from your children's cheeks. Stressful! Rediscover your passion behind the lens. Explore a new environment and some new subject matter -- No Kids Allowed! I offered this challenge to my friend, Sharon Sones, a Lilburn working mother of two. She reviewed her logical findings. “Well, like many moms, I have to pay for something to feel …
Friday, March 4, 2011
Your local high school may have some secrets. The evening exercise and enrichment classes may be the perfect weekly escape!
For some, going back to high school may not be a joyful escape. But, as an adult, I have found there are benefits to going there in the evenings -- Community School classes. We all have hobbies and desires that have been put on hold while parenting; however, with classes like cardio, weight training, yoga, Spanish, dance, landscaping, and cooking, you have some convenient options to jump start your all-too-sleepy right brain. For me, I weight trained before kids. Admittedly, I always needed the motivation of a good coach -- my husband. Although he still motivates by example, balancing exercise as a priority and spending quality time with the kids, I often find it difficult to stop taking care of the kids or the house to take care of me. …
Friday, February 25, 2011
Take back marital romance and quality time with an indulgent night away in our local amenity-rich hotels
So, are you still pining for the romantic Valentine’s Days of years past? Did your two-hour date night without the kids just seem too short compared to those long-lost romantic weekends? Well, stop waiting for your overworked husband to read your mind about how you need more romance. (They will never get it, by the way.) Plan your own romantic overnight stay to help you reconnect with your hubbie. First, line up family or really good friends to babysit for an overnighter. (Trade if necessary.) Then decide what you want to do on your night and morning away. Spa, nature walk, golf, hike, wine taste, dine? I have listed some really nice options that are close to home. Book any tee times or spa services. Next, book a dinner reservation near or…
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Men have Superbowl Sunday. Moms- Hail the return of Ladies Night Out. You deserve it!
No matter what age your children are, you need the support of other moms. If you are humbly stuck in your weekly maternal routine, plan a Ladies Night Out. Planning is easy. Call friends from church, work, the neighborhood or playgroup. Consider meeting at a nearby shopping area, such as the Avenues of Webb Gin in Snellville or the Mall at Stonecrest in Stone Mountain. Each lady should go early and buy herself one new item (book, jewelry, skirt, shoes- the shopping possibilities are endless.) Meet for a wine tasting at a local spot, and then pick a place for dinner. Now, mentally removing any guilt of leaving your children is a bit harder. Granted you may receive insecure joking from your husband that a girls’ night is only an excuse to…
Myra Stewart
6:08 pm on Friday, March 4, 2011
Liza, The time is right now.....just put the chores aside and stop by one of the classes offered on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:30 and 7:30pm. You will love yourself more once you get started. The hardest part is the commitment. We/I will encourage you. Myra Stewart - Fitness Instrutor more ›