Girlfriends, you’re invited to a Ladies Night Charity Event on May 13, 2009 at Juvenesse Spa in Chicago. Champagne, nibbles, two mini spa services and more surprises are included in your $15 ticket. Network with new friends, and enjoy with your gal pals! Plus, all proceeds from this event go to Peace Journey, a 501c3 organization that guides global friendships among children of the world through technology and education. Thanks to Chicagonista.com for organizing this great event—we can’t wait to see you there! Hurry, space is limited. Click on the postcard for registration info.
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Winners have been notified by email. Thanks again to MumboJumbo for the great prizes! Are you a gamer? Our reader Nicole is, and she recently wrote in to sell us on the idea of video games as the perfect, budget-friendly girls night out. We totally agree! Why not take over the Playstation or Wii for one night and invite the girls over to have some fun? Read on for some ideas on how to get your girlfriends together for some video game fun. It’s refreshing to try something new, it’s sure to bring some laughs to your girlfriend group, and it’s low-cost (or even free, especially if you win our game giveaway. Details at the end of this post!)
Surprisingly popular
Now, the Girlfriends-in-Chief do not pretend to be knowledgeable about (or even very interested in) video games. But we both have game systems in our homes, as we know many of you do, courtesy of our darling children. And although we’ve both tried our hand at the Wii, we tend to think of it as a children’s pastime. But we were oh, so wrong, as reader Nicole pointed out:
“I think the ladies are under-represented when it comes to things like video games, and videogames like Rock Band, where you play along on little instruments to a song, are so much fun. There are tons of Rock Band nights across the country where bands of four can compete to win prizes. Harrah’s casinos are hosting some of these events: http://www.harrahs.com/rockband/ It’s free to sign up, and it’s free to play the game. It’s a great way for four girlfriends to spend an evening bonding.”
And Nicole is not alone! We learned that millions of women play “casual online games.” In fact, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, women are almost twice as likely as men to spend 20 hours per week playing games on their PC. Whoa. And, in a 2007 report, the Casual Games Association reported that 75 percent of casual game buyers are women. Most gamers average seven to 15 hours of play a week, and many play as an alternative to watching television. Read the rest of this entry »
Travel opportunity alert! Girlfriends, are you up for some travel to Big Sky Country? Are you looking for a fabulously relaxing girlfriend getaway this summer? Our contributor Casey Wohl (the Getaway Girl®) has put together a reasonably priced girlfriend getaway in Montana that sounds absolutely heavenly. 
One weekend is completely sold out, but spots remain for two other weekends in July. We know it will be just the trip some of our Girlfriends are looking for; this sentence in particular caught our eye: “The July 4th weekend will host the Livingston Roundup Rodeo and hundreds of professional cowboys will inundate this charming town.” Read on for the awesome details:
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Girlfriends, are you making green plans for this week? Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day are both coming up (Arbor Day is the last Friday in April, here in Illinois. Other states may observe it at other times, depending on the best time to plant trees. Find the date for your state here.) To help you celebrate these very worthy occasions, GirlfriendCelebrations.com is here with our top five ways to get green with a girlfriend. We hope you’ll try at least one! (Photo via flickr.)
1. Plant something. Whether it’s a potted plant for a shut-in, annuals to brighten a neighbor’s walkway, or a tree in your yard, this is a green activity that benefits everyone. Don’t have a green thumb? Invite your gardener girlfriends to give you some tips. Working with the soil is therapeutic, living with plants is healthy, and the beauty they provide is uplifting. Another suggestion: Use your crafting skills to make a discarded container into a “new again” planter.
2. Carpool. Just give it a try. Coordinate your work friends and share a ride to work this week. It’s girlfriendly and green. After all, you get to chat on the way. If you’re going to girls night out, try to do it in as few cars as possible. Or, consider the adventure of taking public transportation together!
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[Need an exotic getaway that's simple to pull off? Getaway Girl® Casey Wohl is back with a tantalizing account of her trip to Puerto Rico. After reading this, you'll want to give it a try too!]
By Casey Wohl
For a summer Girls Getaway, my girlfriend and I decided to experience Puerto Rico. With great air deals from the U.S. mainland, this English-speaking country requires no passport and you don’t have to worry about exchanging currency. We arrived in Puerto Rico late Friday night, so we were thrilled to wake up Saturday morning to an awesome view of the pool and beach from our room at the Marriott San Juan Resort & Stellaris Casino (www.Marriott.com/San-Juan). After a few hours of beach and pool time, we made our way to the spa for afternoon massages. After a few unsuccessful attempts at the slot machines, we headed to Old San Juan for the Sofo Culinary Festival. The streets were packed with people sampling delicious cuisine, festive cocktails and enjoying live music and street performers. 
We made our way to a restaurant called Marmalade (www.MarmaladePR.com), which is located on Fortaleza Street. We ordered a Pomegranate Martini and a Mojito, as well as Paella Bytes, Baby Field Greens with Honey Passion Fruit Vinaigrette, Tiny White Bean Soup with Black Truffle Oil, and Ceviche. Everything was absolutely amazing! I now have a new favorite restaurant. This place is a “must-visit” during your time in Puerto Rico. Chef Peter Schintler, originally from Iowa, has been all over the world studying and preparing amazing food. He currently brings his extraordinary flair for exquisite and creative cuisine to Old San Juan. Thank you for one of my favorite meals to date. Many thanks to Rob for his impeccable service and wonderful recommendations.
With chef Peter
MORE:
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Holistic health guru Dr. Andrew Weil gave friendship a big endorsement this week with his newsletter article entitled “Four Ways to Live Past 100.” We already knew girlfriends were good for you…but if you need convincing, here’s yet another respected source talking up the health benefits of social ties. And we quote:
“A network of family and close friends is vital to optimum health. You can enjoy the benefits of a well developed social life by spending time with people who make you happy, joining community groups or clubs, volunteering, and participating in support groups.”
If you’d like to see the other three ways to live past 100, visit Dr. Weil’s website here. And get on the phone to make plans with your girlfriends, stat! Read the rest of this entry »
[When we need friendship advice, we know exactly where to go! We're proud to have a guest post today by Huffington Post blogger, author and friendship expert Irene Levine. You'll find her thoughtful answers to girlfriend friendship dilemmas on her friendship blog. Today, she tells us how to be better girlfriends by pointing out five common stumbling blocks on the road to girlfriend bliss.]
By Irene S. Levine, PhD
As much as we would like them to, many friendships—even the best of them—don’t last forever. So when a close friendship falls apart, it’s natural to feel a sense of loss and pain, particularly if the friendship was a meaningful one. But with some insight and understanding, you may be able to avoid the traps that commonly derail female friendships. Here are five pitfalls to watch out for: (photo via flickr)
1) Getting too close too soon
You think you’ve met your new best friend and immediately tell her your life story—the good, the bad, and the ugly. You tell her about your old best friend who unceremoniously dumped you, your boyfriend’s wicked temper, and that you recently overcame a serious drinking problem. Before you have time to blink, she seems like she is no longer interested in being your friend.
A better approach:
Finding a new friend is almost like love at first sight. While there might be compelling reasons why you are attracted to someone, it doesn’t mean the chemistry is going to be right for you for the long haul. Telling someone too much too soon may frighten her. Intimacy and sharing needs to unfold gradually as two women get to know one another over time.
2) Being too secretive
Some women are so private and insecure that they are unable to be open with their friends. It may be because they were betrayed or dumped unilaterally, either by a best friend or a spouse. Subsequent to that trauma, their lives become filled with secrets because they have a hard time trusting other people.
A better approach: Read the rest of this entry »
So, the results from our latest poll are in, and it looks like most of our girlfriends have a moderate amount of money to spend on their monthly Girls Night Out.
Only seven percent of you said you were flat broke. The vast majority were ok with spending about $25 on a monthly girls night out. And another lucky 23% could spend $50 and up for girls night fun. In this economy, that seems impressive! For those of you spending the cash, we’d love to hear where you go and what you do on your girls nights out. Dinner? Drinks? Theater? Let’s talk about it in the comments! And for those of you watching your wallets, remember that Girls Night In can be just as fun as Girls Night Out, while drastically cheaper! Find frugal girls night ideas here and here. And, be sure to take our latest poll: “What do you think of Bunco?” at the top of the left-hand column. Have a great week!
Hey, girlfriends, we’re sporting another new piece of website jewelry and you can, too. Check out our adorable new badge! If you agree with us that Girlfriends Make Life Better, you can grab the code from our right-hand column and display the badge on your site. Let us know in the comments, and we’ll be sure to link back to you. Have a great weekend!
Girlfriend Celebrations - Girlfriends Make Life Better!
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and that got us to thinking about “mocktails.”
Sparkling Citrus from Preggatinis™. Recipe below!
Festive, alcohol-free beverages should be part of every chic hostess’s repertoire. Many girlfriends are eliminating alcohol from their diets as a way of life or as a choice in their day. But just because they’re going alcohol-free, it doesn’t mean they have to miss out on the fun! We’ve got a recipe from
Natalie Bovis-Nelsen’s book, Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-be, plus more ideas and tips to help you serve some delicious mocktails at your next girlfriend gathering.
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Events
