The last time the six of us “girls” were all together in one place was almost 20 years earlier, as college seniors. As we gathered at the Miami airport, off flights coming from Boston, New York and San Francisco, we exchanged hugs and honest claims that “You haven’t changed a bit!”  Back at the University of Rhode Island, our lives were pretty simple. We studied teaching and business. We worked part-time jobs, went out dancing almost every Thursday through Saturday night. Our biggest concerns were finishing our term papers, throwing parties or wondering if the boys we were dating would become…

In these days of family dinners being interrupted by fundraising telemarketers, it is refreshing to see a group of local folks go the extra mile to put together a gala event in the name of charity.  Schedule the sitter for May 6, put on your dancing shoes and get ready for a fun night out together. This event,  Wickford Heels Gala Dinner Dance and Auction, kicks off the Wickford Heels and Wheels weekend festivities. Organized by the NK Chamber of Commerce to benefit A Wish Come True, the evening will include a big top tent at the North Kingstown Town Beach, a buffet dinner, and big band music…

One of my favorite things about leaving the kids with a sitter is that it normally means we're going out to eat. (Translation: I don't have to cook!) Since the kids are still young, we don't experiment with a wide variety of foods, but tend to cook the stuff I know they'll eat, so it is always a treat to go to a restaurant on date night. Not only do I experiment with dishes I would likely never make at home, but as my mother always said, "Food just tastes better when someone else cooks it." Here's a list of the places Rich and I like to go. While I like to explore new places we've never been…

"Honey, what's your idea for an ultimate date night?" I asked Rich recently.  Without blinking he replied, "Monster truck races." I could not read his face to see if he was serious, or just busting my chops. I decided not to pursue this line of questioning, lest I might be subjected to an evening filled with exhaust fumes, spattered mud and loud engine noises. In researching this article, however, I did find that "Monster Jam Races" are coming to Dunkin Donuts Center next February, in case anyone else might be interested. (Also note that the Harlem Globetrotters are playing there this weekend…

When do you fit in time for exercise? In the dark, early morning hours before work? At lunch or after work? Weekends only? How about on date night? Yes, you read that right. Date night is usually spent eating, but why not use the time away from the kids to exercise together? Every Thursday night BK (before kids), Rich and I used to play volleyball with friends. It was good exercise and good fun.  Now, PK (post kids, in case you needed help with that), I still play volleyball on Thursdays, but he stays home with the kids. Oh, but he doesn't mind, because on Tuesday nights, I stay home so he …

For my parents, "The Great Escape" meant going to Bermuda without us kids. For months, my brother and I would hear them singing the phrase, "Bermuda is another world." We were sure this was true, but all we cared about was that one of our fun aunts was coming to stay over. We knew Mom and Dad would be back in a week, with a vial of pink sand for each of us, and it made them really happy to anticipate their time away together. When Rich and I started dating, I remember being shocked that his dad was taking a golf vacation with his buddies and his mother was staying home! A vacation apart? For …

If you were to peek in our window on any given evening, here is what you’d see:  Rich, endlessly channel-surfing through guy-oriented programming: "World Combat League," Fox News, "Man vs. Food," "Dirty Jobs," the Godfather series, 162 Red Sox games (seriousy, 162?!), the History Channel or any show having to do with vehicles of any kind.  Me, sleeping on the couch, bored by the endless channel-surfing– though on rare occasions, I commandeer the remote to watch a chick flick or awards show.There are two exceptions to this rule – NFL football (we both love everything about football) and the …

Nothing says “escape” to me like a good glass of wine. One of my favorite places to get wine in the area is at The Savory Grape.  I met owner Jessica Granatiero at a women’s networking event a while back and when she moved to her new location at 1000 Division Street in East Greenwich, I stopped in to say hello and instantly became a fan.What I like about this store – not being a wine connoisseur myself, though I’m learnin – is that they organize the store by the “body style,” not by the color or the country alone. They use words like “full & bold,” “medium & rounded,” or “light and juicy,” …

What is a "reverse date," you ask? It's a phrase I made up one night last fall to describe the kind of date where you stay home and the kids go out. Here's how you do it: 1. Send the kids out to the movies. Call up Grandma or exchange with a friend with kids to take yours. Or, hire a babysitter with a drivers license – that you trust – to take the kids out in public. You can also take advantage of school-sponsored movie nights. They just had one at NKHS as a fundraiser for the music department, and/or your elementary school PTO might host a movie night for the kids. The YMCA also has a …

Warning: what you are about to read is a sad story. It's the story of a North Kingstown couple, happy for two decades, but neither husband nor wife can remember having had a romantic Valentine's Day in 18 years. It's my story. (Could it be yours as well?!)  I'd like to blame it on the kids. Since both of our babies were born in February, I was either 9 months pregnant or "surviving" a newborn for two of those 20 years.  And, you know, there's something sweet about having little ones get excited about red paper napkins and pink frosted cupcakes with candy hearts on them, so I admit, we forgot …

When I heard about the new NorthKingstown.Patch.com Moms Council, I jumped at the chance to write "The Great Escape" column, which will highlight great things for parents to do without kids. Before you reject my Mother-of-The-Year award nomination, I should say that I adore spending time with my kids and the whole family together, but alone time with my husband is really important, too. And, neither he nor I have been very proactive about scheduling "Date Night," so taking this on will make sure we do it!The day after I committed to Patch to write this, I was sitting on a Southwest flight …