The Girlfriend Getaway

It’s time to get away from the snow with my girls.  I'm looking for some place that will include good food, fine wine, and some bronze, buffed, brother spritzing me with water while I… sorry... I drifted off for a moment.  My BFFs and I have been planning a girlfriend getaway for a while now. Snow, work and other commitments have thrown our schedules way off but I'm determined to get away with my girls.

We can't all seem to agree on where we want to go. Well, except those of us on the east coast... We all know we want to go some place WARM where we can get into some trouble... not a lot of trouble... just a little.  Our running joke is that whenever one of us travels someone has to hold the bail money in case things get out of control. But if we're all together... who is going to get us out of trouble? Good thing there's a lawyer in the group and at least two husbands who will come looking for their wives if we come up missing. I’m not sure where we are going but I am very sure of my "must have" vacation requirements.  In no particular order they are:

• WARM temps… dare I say HOT temperatures. With two major blizzards under our belt I’m OVER winter
• Good food... really, really good food
• Exceptional spa services
• State of the art workout facility (not a must but I’m on an exercise kick sooooooooo...)
• An big, beautiful swimming pool
• A big comfy bed in preferably a newly renovated hotel
• Walking distance to shops because shopping therapy is the BEST
• An amazing bar with an even more amazing bartender
• Departure to and from National Airport
• Able to fit in a 2010 recession budget

Getting away with the girls does wonders for your self esteem and helps elevate your mood both physically and mentally.  It's nice to check in with other women who love you and "get you" at your core.  Plus, according to Spavelous Weekly Spa Magazine:

Time spent with friends is more than just a fun time. It's good for you, too.  Scientists are discovering what women have always known.  Time spent with the girls soothes stress.  “Hanging out with women friends increases prolactin levels. Prolactin is a bonding hormone that also decreases stress,” says Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom. “Going to movies together, meeting for cappuccino, or simply having a date for taking walks together — all of these are great ways to decrease stress.”

I love spending time with my girlfriends, although I don't seem to do it nearly often enough.  So, getting away together is a great way to catch up.  It seems I'm not alone.  Here are five interesting girlfriend getaway facts from Spavelous Weekly Spa Magazine:

1. Girlfriend getaways account for approximately 4% of all US leisure travel spending.
2. The leading reasons women want to take the girlfriend getaways are to bond with friends or family (70 percent) and to escape from their daily responsibilities (65 percent).
3. The most popular activities while on a girlfriend getaways are dining out (86 percent), shopping (74 percent), spa (73 percent) and going to the beach or pool (70 percent).
4. The most difficult aspects of planning a girlfriend getaway are finding a time that works for everyone (77 percent) and selecting a trip that fits everyone’s budget (76 percent).
5. Fifty-six percent of all women surveyed said they have yet to make plans for a future girlfriend getaway, but would like to plan one. 

By the way, if there are any travel agencies, hotels or airlines who want to cater to a group of Black women with some money to burn, we'll be open to blog about our trip in exchange for deep vacation discounts.

Liftetime - I don't watch it but I like to know it's there!

I remember being exciting when I first heard the news that women were going to have our own network... not channel... but network.  Wall Street finally realized we have buying power, we matter and we need to be catered to.  Enter the launch of Lifetime Networks in 1984.  It took over a decade for Women's Entertainment, rebranded as WE tv to come along.  So, imagine my surprise when I read that Lifetime is struggling to hold on to their core base of fans.  How can a company with a mission statement like the one below go under?  How did the company get off course with a commitment statement like this:

Lifetime Networks is a diverse, multi-media company, committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming content that celebrates, entertains and supports women. 

It seems the network has lost it way over the past few years which, in a way, makes me sad.  Granted, I don't watch Lifetime.  Heck, I don't even watch Project Runway anymore.  Seriously, I can't take more than three seasons of any reality show.  Oh, and those Lifetime movies... if you've seen one you've seen them all.  When I was snowed in a couple of weeks ago I watch Lifetime after Lifetime movie but if I had to see one more "I'm secretly obsessed with you and I want to (a) be with you, (b) kill your spouse so I can move in or (c) kill you so nobody else can have you" I was gonna poke my eye out!  So, no, the Lifetime network isn't my first go-to television destination but still... I like knowing it's there.  I like knowing there's a network dedicated to women.  I like know there is more than one network dedicated to women.  Maybe it's just me...

Here are the headlines from today's LA Times and it's not good news for Lifetime. 

The women's cable network has struggled for years to change from plain Jane to glamour girl. But Lifetime's numerous makeovers have taken a toll: Its prime-time audience has plunged so much that the channel no longer even ranks among the top five favorite cable networks among women under 50, according to Nielsen.

Meanwhile, rival networks have been wooing women away with shows such as the "Real Housewives" series on Bravo, MTV's "Teen Mom," Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" and even reruns of "Sex and the City" on TBS.

The quandary for Lifetime has been a conflict between the viewers it seeks and those who tune in.

"There were a lot of people at Lifetime who wanted our viewer to be hipper and more fashionable," said Brent Poer, a former marketing executive at Lifetime who is now senior vice president at MediaVest USA, which buys commercials for Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble. "That just wasn't who they were."

 Read the full story here:

Lifetime's new looks haven't fit quite right - latimes.com

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Women's Health 2010

As women, we often push aside our mental and physical health to take care of others.  Let's make 2010 the year we stop neglecting ourselves!  Remember ladies, we can't be good to anyone else until we are good to ourselves.

Women’s Health 2010: The 18th Annual Congress
Mar 26 – 28, 2010
Washington, DC

Women’s Health 2010: The 18th Annual Congress is sponsored by the VCU Institute for Women’s Health and Journal of Women’s Health, in collaboration with National Cancer Institute and the American Medical Association. This year’s Congress also marks the 95th Anniversary meeting of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), an organization devoted to the advancement of women in medicine and the improvement of women’s health. For more information, please contact 914-740-2100 orvcohn@liebertpub.com.

The most beautiful make-up of a woman is passion.  But cosmetics are easier to buy.  ~Yves Saint Laurent

Sade is back... stronger than pride and stronger than EVER

We haven't heard from Sade in ten years.  "What have you been doing", interviewers asked her on Talk Show after Talk Show.  She often answered with something like "oh, just living."  Then she mentions her 13 year old daughter and we know exactly what she's been doing... being a Mother... experiencing the world outside of the traps that come with the music business... collecting life experiences that gave her pause and strength.  The result... her AMAZING new album "Solder of Love".  I can totally relate to the title with lyrics like:

I am lost
But I don't doubt (oh!)
So I ride
I have the will to survive

In the wild wild west,
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive

I am love's soldier!

I know that love will come
Turn it all around

I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier

Check out the video for a Solder Of Love, the first single off  the album, from the Sade website.  If you haven't purchased her album yet go get it today!  You can purchase the album in stores and it's also available online at iTunes and Amazon.  Trust me, you won't regret you bought it.  By the way, my favorite song is "In Another Time" and I'll tell you why... in another post.

Women: Just Beautiful

My oldest sister sent this to me. I've always idolized her. She's sixteen years older than I am and for the longest time representing everything "cool" to me. I love that she shared this with me and I want to share it with you also... enjoy!