How to Enjoy an Untraditional Mom's Night Out!

You yearn for a night away from the madness of bedtime baths, stories and diaper changes. You're tired of getting together for wedding and baby showers, and cringe at the thought of attending another Mary Kay or Pampered Chef party. Unfortunately as a mother, baby showers, wedding showers, and Mary Kay parties quickly become the gathering Mecca 's of choice. You continue to sit through Pampered Chef parties where you are bombarded by gadgets meant to make cooking in the kitchen easier. After several parties you realize not even the host herself is perfect as you are served lasagna in Pampered Chef pans, only to later find the boxes mysteriously hidden in the neighbors' trashcan. Listed below are some exciting, refreshingly new twists to get you and your friends out of the collective monotone oohing and aahing over baby gifts, and out having fun!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 
    

   GET PAMPERED! Get a manicure, facial or pedicure together. To save money, try a beauty school. "My sister and I went to a local beauty school one night where I got a back treatment for the first time. For $15, I got a massage, oil treatment, and hot rock treatment on my back."-Mary. Many beauty schools offer scalp treatments, deep conditions, and other spa treatments for a fraction of the price you would spend at a spa. A little nervous about beauty schools? When booking an appointment, make sure to book with a student who is close to graduating. Also make sure instructors will be available and actively overseeing the students work. To locate a beauty school near you, go to: www.a2zcolleges.com/beauty/index.html.

2. 
    

   GET AWAY! Plan an inexpensive, yearly retreat for the girls. Reunite old college roommates, or get away with other moms from the neighborhood. Try the Casablanca Resort in Mesquite , Nevada . Located 45 minutes away from Vegas, relax with a 2 night getaway and your choice of 2 rounds of golf, or 2 spa treatments for only $99! (This is a promotional offer only good certain times of the year). Go to casablancaresort.com for more information.

3. 
    

   START COOKING... Grab a few girlfriends, spend a couple of hours in the kitchen, and leave with twelve entrees that feed up to 6 people. You pick the entrees you want, than assemble the meals. All the cleaning, shopping, and prep work of slicing, dicing, and meal planning is done for you ahead of time. See mygirlfriendskitchen.com or dreamdinners.com for locations and prices. Most meals will run about three dollars per serving. And many of the meals can be divided into half for smaller families. Or, head to a cooking school to learn some fun cooking traits. See surlatable.com. Enjoy a chocolate making and tasting night. (My personal favorite). You can even learn to make sushi!

4. 
    

   MASSAGE NIGHT... Locate a massage therapy school close to you at massageme.com and enjoy a massage for half the price of a local spa. Many schools offer 2 for 1 deals throughout the year to save you even more money. If you are in the mood to splurge a little, this website will also locate local spas in your area.

5. 
    

   BOOK A SLUMBER PARTY! This girls night will have Dad eagerly volunteering to watch the kids! Book a party date at slumberparties.com, gather the girlfriends and sample exciting products sure to add some excitement to your love life. Everyone goes home with fun samples to try out later in the bedroom. Let loose and have some serious grown-up fun!

6. 
    

   OR HAVE AN OLD FASHIONED SLUMBER PARTY! Wear your PJ's, bring old movies, pop some popcorn, and order a pizza. Sit and veg for a few hours together laughing and talking. This is a great icebreaker for getting to know new friends too. Maybe make it an 80's theme night, and include old candy, movies, and games (think GirlTalk!) that you used to enjoy. If you don't have a whole night to devote, this is also a great activity to spend several hours together too.

7. 
    

   SEEK OUT ADVENTURE! "A few of us girls had never been snowboarding before. We were able to rent equipment, learn to snowboard, and enjoy a fun girl's day out for only $20!"-Jennie. Check out local colleges' outdoor recreation departments. Often, they will rent equipment out for much less than the ski resorts. Go with someone who has been skiing before. They can usually teach you a few basics like getting up, going, and stopping. Look for resorts that offer free bunny hill skiing. If it's your first time you will be falling a lot, so this is a great way to learn inexpensively for a few hours. Don't live close to a ski resort? Don't worry! Most colleges also rent camping gear, bikes, and surfing equipment.

8. 
    

   LEARN A NEW HOBBY... The best part of being friends is the fact that you are all so different. Embrace that by having a get together once a week, month, or even quarterly. Rotate who is hosting, the location, and activity. One friend could have everyone join her at Book Club night, the next time your other friend could plan to have everyone meet for a scrapbook night. Set limits on the price so everyone can join in.

9. 
    

   CLASS IS IN... Get your friends together, pick a class to attend, and then have fun attending together. You could learn to cook Italian, laugh hysterically as you try to stay afloat in a water aerobics class, or gossip about the hot instructor you have in your auto mechanic basics class. Local recreation centers, colleges, and universities are great places to check out classes that are available.

Tips & Warnings

• Pick one night or day that seems to work the best for everyone. (Not everyone is going to make it everytime).
• Work out a babysitting arrangment. You could have a few girls from the neighborhood come to one house to babysit several children at a time, then rotate houses next time. It saves trying to get many babysitters to go to different houses if you live in the same area. And the kids will love getting to hang out together.
• Some moms may have special circumstances, or aren't able to go on the day you've chosen. Always make them feel like you missed them and wished they were there. Send the mom with sick kids a note letting them know you hope you see them next time, or visit with the mom on bedrest and give them a lowdown on what happened and what's going on with each mom. It's always important to feel included.

[slumberbyjulie]

on 2/17/2009 Number 5 is a GREAT suggestion... but then I am a little biased! Great tips ~ and great ideas... thanks for sharing!

[niknik2008]

on 1/16/2009 Very insightful. I need a mom's night out.

[freelancechick]

on 11/8/2008 Great ideas! 5 *