Jul

3

Cinema Para-FREE-So

Filed Under Entertainment | Comments Off

Wondering what to do with the kids this weekend?  A host of national and regional chains are offering a variety of free and almost-free movies for kids — all summer!

At the Movies

Here are a few links to get you there.

Stay cool!

Great Escape Theaters

Regal Cinemas

Cinemark

For more local and regional location listings:

Five Cent Nickel

Also, check your local newspapers — lots of cities do free movies in parks and other venues.  You can also order discount movie tickets through your local Entertainment Book — which is free for the balance of 2009 with your order for next year’s book.  Good deal.

Of course, there’s always the stay at home movies.  If you really don’t want to leave the house, Blockbuster online and Netflix always have great offers.

If Dinner and a Movie is more your style, there are some fabulous discount dining sites.  My favorite is Restaurant.com.  Great discounts on loads of restaurants nationwide, and no sign-up fees.

For more ways to save on entertainment, click here.

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend.

drive-in movies

Apr

2

A Different Kind of Home Spa

Filed Under Health and Well-Being | 4 Comments

I recently spent 6 weeks at a luxurious Florida spa! But before you get jealous, let me explain.

First of all, let’s get the terminology straight. When I lived in NY, a spa was someplace you went to have massages, facials, and if you were really lucky, you might go to hot-rocksArizona or Utah for a week of exercise and pampering.  

When I moved to Florida, I was truly confused, because down here, a spa is a hot tub. In NY, a hot tub is a hot tub. fun-in-the-hot-tub

But I digress.

 

 

 

In February, while most of the Northern Hemisphere is shoveling snow, I started a very strict diet, with a list of maybe 10 foods that I was allowed to eat.  Since eating a major part of my social life, I decided to stick close to home for the 6 weeks I’d be on the plan, and focus on making myself healthier.  

As a home-based writer, I have the luxury of doing this without having to go to work out of the house.  So, for six weeks, I cooked simple meals, walked on the beach almost daily, spent spare time reading and watching girlie movies and just generally taking care of myself.  I made exercise dates instead of dinner dates with friends.  Armed with a selection of articles from a women’s health and beauty magazines, I tried a bunch of different exercise routines, healthy spa meals, and the most fun part, beauty treatments. I let my hair go grey, started a new skincare regime, (see Drugstore Junkie for more about this) and treated myself to long, warm showers with body scrubbies and smoothers, followed by new body lotions.  

I had my favorite masseur come over for a relaxing, rejuvenating massage, my favorite nail technician for a manicure and pedicure, and, had I not just had one, I would have had a doctor come in for a shot of Botox too. 

I know I’m lucky to have the time to do this, but this is definitely doable by anyone — in a week, a weekend, or even just a day.

First, line up a few good friends to join you.  Get rid of the family for a while, and make sure you’re stocked up on:

  1. healthy foods to cook (or go wild and have it catered!)
  2. movies and music
  3. body brushes, scrubbies, soaps and lotions (see 100 under 100 for shopping tips) and at home facials and peels
  4. magazines with “spa weekend” articles
  5. ‘good’ wine
  6. herbal tea
  7. yoga and exercise videos

Get on the phone and find a massage therapist, nail tech and maybe a hairstylist who will come to the house — most are thrilled to have a few people to work on at once. 

Set up a schedule.  Do a morning walk, stretch or yoga class, an at-home facial, and a light lunch and siesta.  Then, a harder exercise class, followed by massages, manicures and other self-pampering treatments  – if you can’t or don’t want to have professionals come to the house, you can help each other . After another healthy meal, take what’s left of the wine, settle in for the evening and watch a good movie.  

Or get in the hot tub.  Oops, I mean the “spa”.
TheTopSecret

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