It has been a while since you and your spouse have had a night out alone. Your family has been busy lately, but it's high time to take an evening where you can relax and have an adult conversation at a grown-up restaurant. It starts with a plan. Call your babysitter, head to town for some pre-date night items such as a manicure/pedicure, new makeup, and maybe a special date night article of clothing. While you are out buy a bottle of wine and have a glass while you prepare for your evening. You and your spouse want to dress up and shed your “parent uniforms." You can be as dressy or as casual…

Each week in our "Great Escape" column, we tell you about one great idea to give you a much-deserved break and make your life a little easier, maybe a whole lot easier—and at least a little bit more fun. With summer in full swing that means the Minuteman Bikeway will be filling with more than just the hardcore year-round riders.  For any rider, or coffee-sipper for that matter, Ride.Studio.Café, 1720 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, is a great resource. Invite a friend for conversation and a latte, and start planning your cycling journeys. Or, have your bike tuned up or repaired.  The shop …

Each week, we’ll tell you about one great idea to give you a much deserved break, and make your life a little easier, maybe a whole lot easier. Enjoy Great Escape. If you can get out of the house before the corporate crew hits the roads, make your way down to Chestnut Hill. Aquitaine Bis’ 3-course meal “Beat The Rush” will reward you for your early efforts. Located on 11 Boylston St., this restaurant is the creation of Boston native Matthew Burns and former Wall Street suit turned renowned chef Seth Woods. From 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday’s through Wednesday they package up menu …

Many successful businesspeople visit the green for networking and meetings, but visiting the golf course can also be an escape from work and everyday stresses. Walking around nicely trimmed lawns without the noise and distraction of children and work and focusing all your energy into hitting that tiny little white ball can really be relaxing. But first you have to not get frustrated with your skills, or lack thereof, and that means lessons. The Recreation Department is offering one-hour lessons on Thursdays from July 7 to August 4 at 6 p.m. at the Billerica Country Club for $150. To sign up …

Your teens are holding a car wash at the high school Saturday. The grandparents volunteered to take the younger children to a movie Sunday afternoon. Your tweens take tap on Wednesday evening. It’s your time. Take it. Each week, we’ll tell you about one great idea to give you a much deserved break, and make your life a little easier, maybe a whole lot easier. Becoming a mom is a life-changing event. Being a good mom every day is all-consuming and sometimes we feel, well, drained. I recently got my long hair completely chopped off. For the most part, I got my hair cut because my daughter was …

Maybe you're the mom who relishes shopping the winter farmers market and making home cooked meals for the kids and for you and your significant other.  Perhaps you don't love to cook, but you are able to pull together a few ingredients from the fridge and pantry on a regular basis to get the family fed. Then again, maybe you prefer to pick some readymade meals up from Comella's, Buona Vita or The Meat House and dinner is served. Whatever it is that works for you and your family there's a good bit of juggling that goes on with everyone's schedules. A nice antidote to the routine, without the …

Mommy's got a green thumb and it isn't because she made playdough this week for the preschool class. It is June which means it is about that time to begin gardening.  Whether you like a kitchen garden or you love to plant flowers for cutting, start your garden indoors. To save money on your garden and to get your hands in the soft warm dirt a little earlier, start you seedlings indoors. You can get potting tools and seeds at Wannamaker Hardware. For tips on how to start your seeds, GardenGirl has a great video walking you through the process. If you don't have a backyard plot of land and you …

You've heard the old stumper about the tree falling in the forest. Here's a new question for you: If you eat a piece of chocolate while exercising, do the calories still count? Time to find out. Sign up for one of the Boston Chocolate Walking Tours and feel the (very mild) burn while you also sample some of the best dark (and milk) magic five of Boston's premier chocolate locations (Teuscher! O & Co.!) have to offer. Running every Thursday and Friday at 5:45 p.m., every Saturday at 12:15 and 3:15 p.m. and every Sunday at 11:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m., the tours include no more than 15 participants…

One of my favorite escapes in Watertown is to take a nice brisk walk, or snow shoe along the new bike path in the morning. It was exciting to watch as they planted new shrubs, installed benches, and posed new signs last fall. It is also a great way to get in and out of the mall when I need to pick up a few things. I love to add some fun to my walk and take a turn over to 71 Arlington St. to Lilly’s for a nice cup of coffee and pastry. They have such an amazing selection. My family’s favorites are the red velvet cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies and the mouth-watering cream puffs. Lilly's takes…

The sad news of Bob Slate, a local stationer and institution for more than 75 years, closing is the end of a tradition and perhaps a sign of the times. While you can connect and reconnect with your girlfriends on Facebook there's nothing like the feel of a great pen gliding across a piece of paper.  So this week's escape is all about the art of the pen. The experience of physically browsing through racks and shelves of cards and choosing just the right one to suit you or the lucky recipient is a great way to unwind and escape. Head out on this special errand (no kids allowed) and start a new …

Living in the Northeast can take a toll on your skin, especially in the winter months when the heat is very drying, and you are less likely to drink a lot of water.  A facial is a relaxing way to exfoliate, hydrate and restore balance to the skin. Recommended all year round, facials can benefit moms, dads and teens. A great place to go is Beauty and Beyond Skin Care, 22 Woburn Street, Reading, where moms can schedule a facial party with 3-10 of their friends at a cost of $45 per person. That price includes a 15-20 minute mini facial. Add refreshments and time to socialize, moms and their …

One of the things I love about living in Medford is our proximity to the resources of Boston: world-renowned medical care, top-notch colleges and universities, fine dining and Fenway Park, for example. This week's recommended escape is Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. And just like visits to Boston, visits to the MFA can be different every time you go. For example: The "Sex in the City" Escape: Meet your girlfriends at the MFA's New American Café for a glass of wine or a cappuccino, then stroll through an exhibit celebrating the work of fashion designer Arnold Scaasi. The Boston Globe calls the …

Today's escape may be a little bit of a challenge, but totally worth it.  Helena's is a great boutique that has a little bit of everything for your wardrobe.  The challenging part is that it happens to be in the same building as Isis Parenting.  Remember this is mom time and a mom escape. It may be easier to sneak over to the adorable children's apparel and latest parenting gadgets than try to stand in front of a mirror and consider: Will this gorgeous garment fit in any which way? Will I ever have the opportunity to wear this fabulous outfit? Will I be able to walk out of the house without a…

Are you a parent with a neglected artistic passion? If so, there's good news: North Reading artist Kim Scher teaches painting and drawing to all ages in her studio. Scher never intended to teach. Five years ago, she created and ran a one-week summer art camp after a mother asked about lessons for her kids. When the week ended, her students wanted to continue; she has been teaching ever since. “It was a surprise – something I never intended to do,” she said. “But I absolutely love it.” Today, Scher mixes all ages in her classes; but if you prefer child-free time, she offers private and semi-…

After buckling and unbuckling car seats, and lugging hats, coats and lunch boxes in and out of the car, sometimes moms just need to lighten their load.  After a morning with someone pulling on your coat sleeves, an afternoon of kids jumping on you, climbing on you and even smothering you with kisses, by the time the evening rolls around you just need a little space.    A great little mom escape that doesn't take much time and costs nothing is to head outside with nothing more than your keys and a desire to get out into nature. Now that the sun is setting closer to 7 p.m. than 4 p.m. you can …

Your teens are holding a car wash at the high school Saturday. The grandparents volunteered to take the younger children to a movie Sunday afternoon. Your tweens take tap on Wednesday evening. It’s your time. Take it. Each week, we’ll tell you about one great idea to give you a much deserved break, and make your life a little easier, maybe a whole lot easier. I told my husband the other day that there are a few things nearly every mother needs each day: Thirty minutes minimum to herself to regroup, a warm shower, and a glass of wine after the baby is in bed. To my surprise he found me the …

When was the last time you went to a movie theater without children to see an adult picture? Have you had a chance to see the new movie, "Lincoln Lawyers" or is "Rango" the only movie you have seen lately? Movies are a great way to escape to another world, get lost in a story or live vicariously through someone else. You could rent, but going there gets you out of the house. Whether you go alone, with a friend or a husband, just find a time when your children will be over a friend’s house or when grandma insists she takes the children for a couple of hours. If you're concerned about the high …

Get lost in the vivid pages of Boston’s newest guide that zooms in on the women that make the city a metropolitan paradise. "Crave Boston: The Urban Girl’s Manifesto," a publication of Crave Company based in Seattle, is a carefully crafted city companion from a women’s point of view and our pick to serve as reminder that there is life with children. The featured “entreprenesses” are the queens of savvy in a specific niche or market from cupcakes to photography and their accomplishments will inspire you to pursue big or small “escapes.” After your done with the book, move onto the Web site …

Whether you were the classic girly girl commandeering the bathroom mirror for hours or you never spent more than five minutes on your hair and makeup, now that you are a mom the time you spend on yourself has shrunk as your family has expanded. It's time to carve out a little more time than usual this week, month, year and give yourself something to feel good about how you feel and look.Start back up with a weekly class or get introduced with a private session of pilates at Endurance Pilates and Yoga. Whether you like Pilates or prefer Yoga with the right instruction either will make you feel…

Imagine a world where there is peace and tranquility: no dirty diapers, no crying babies or any other distractions from the outside world. Such a place exists. Quite a few of them actually, right here in the Stoneham region. Yoga studios provide the perfect atmosphere for busy moms to escape from their hectic and draining schedules. Even if it's just for an hour or two each week, the lessons learned with each class could help moms in their everyday lives. Yoga classes can help people gain control of their thoughts and shutout unnecessary stress. Because there is a certain amount of focus …