Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, girlfriends. One way to survive this “celebration of love” is to turn it into a day of appreciation that leaves everyone feeling loved—romantically attached or not! What can you do to make Valentine’s Day a positive experience? Take a lesson from our girlfriend Carmen. Carmen belongs to our Facebook group and she wrote to us about “Lucky Reds” —her girlfriend group’s fun Valentine underwear tradition. Why not use her idea as a starting point to start a fun valentine tradition with your gal pals?

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Happy Inauguration Day, girlfriends! One reason we’re so excited about our incoming First Family is that the new First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, recognizes the power of female friendship. That’s right: In addition to being strong, beautiful, a great mom and a loving wife, she makes time for her girlfriends! A Chicago Tribune article by Dahleen Glanton (”The White House’s Working Mom,” November 6, 2008) says Michelle Obama will rely on girlfriend connections as she makes the transition to the White House.

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Hi, Girlfriends! We’ve had a lovely holiday hiatus, but now we’re back with a whole new year of ideas to help you have fun and meaningful times with your girlfriends. Did you spend enough time with your girlfriends in 2008? Do you wish you’d taken more time for female friendship?

Have you, like our girlfriend Amy, declared 2009 “the year I take care of me”? If you’re like many of us, you meant to have a regular “date” with your girlfriends last year, but it didn’t quite happen that way. But here’s good news: A new year is the perfect opportunity to create new habits and do things better. We’d like to help you realize all the benefits of strong girlfriendships in 2009, and we’ve put together a little guide to get you started. Read on for our Seven Steps to Better Girls Nights! Read the rest of this entry »

Girlfriends, are you making any New Years resolutions? If you’re looking to make some changes in 2009, enlist your girlfriends to help you stay on track. Use your next girls night to find a “Resolution Buddy”—a partner who will help you keep that promise to exercise five days a week, quit smoking, or be nicer to your husband. Here at GirlfriendCelebrations, we work on improving ourselves all year long. We’re always starting something new. However, the start of a new year *is* the perfect time to reflect on what needs to change in your life and start making that change with vigor. Read on to see what we’re doing and how you can find a buddy too:

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Good morning girlfriends! As you’re getting back to your routine, stop and think of someone–at work, at church, in the neighborhood–whose evening might not have been so pleasant. A whopping 74% of us know a girlfriend living in fear because of domestic violence.

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Hi, Girlfriends. Tomorrow, Sunday, September 21, is the United Nations International Day of Peace. (It’s also National Women’s Friendship Day!).  Check out peaceoneday.org or The Peace Alliance for more information on how you can get involved in promoting peace in our world. Meanwhile, Sunday sounds like a great day to take in a peaceful brunch or walk in the woods with your best friend. Enjoy!

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Good Sunday morning, girlfriends! The Chicago Tribune today is running this article by Heidi Stevens, titled “No Friend to Turn To,” on the front page of its lifestyle section. As we (and the Trib) reported way back in 2006, Americans say they have fewer close friends today than they did 20 years ago. The Chicago Tribune developed a little quiz (in the article linked above) to help you evaluate the state of your friendships. Check it out! We thought it was particularly interesting that the article says social ties outside your own family are important. So if you’re one to say, “my husband is my best friend,” you are likely missing out some really good stuff–the chance to get healthier and live longer due to friendship. A spouse (or boyfriend) is no substitute for a good girlfriend! 

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No more excuses: Getting together with girlfriends can be as easy as 1,2,3! We’ve put together some activities you can do in one hour, two hours, or three hours. Squeeze one in this week! If you have minimal time to spare, these ideas can create memories you will love to share. 

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Do you feel it’s difficult to keep friendships alive? Do you sometimes wonder what you’re doing wrong? Take heart, girlfriends! Most of us feel dissatisfied with our friendships occasionally, but you can easily get your circle back on track. Recently we counseled a frustrated reader to take action to improve her friendships. Read on to see our advice. 

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