TIP TUESDAY #18 - How are you and your Girlfriends celebrating National Mom's Night Off?

Did you know that you get a free pass tomorrow (Thursday, March 20th) for a night out with your girlfriends? Well, thanks to RACHEL HAMMAN, founder of National Mom's Night Out, you're free to go to dinner or just spend time with your girlfriends!

Rachel, a guest on a recent podcast is RACHEL HAMMAN. Rachel also wrote Mom's Night Out - Even inmates get time off for good behavior!

AND, Rachel donated several copies of her book to Girlfriendology for prizes for this month's Girlfriendology Contest*. Just enter the contest and you'll be in a drawing for her fun book with great girlfriend stories!

So, this week's TIP TUESDAY question is:

How will you celebrate National Mom's Night Out?

Personally, I had a girlfriends night last night (Thanks Joan, Allison, Amy, Cheryl, Nancy and Venus), a girlfriends afternoon on Sunday (again - thanks Joan! Debbie, Cindy, Sherman, Pat, Barbara and Peggy) and have a girlfriends night tonight with Paula, Becky, Jill, Judy, Lynn and the lovely Tina. So, I'm making a week of it! So can you, so get started!

* Another AND ... The February Girlfriendology Contest podcast is now live and features our first ever girlfriend contest winner interview. (Thanks so much Georgia for sharing this amazing story about your girlfriend Sally - pictured together here.) This could start a fun new tradition of interviewing our monthly winner!! Have a great girlfriend story and want to share it on our podcast? Enter the contest!

National Mom's Night Out - Get out of the house Girlfriends!

From International Women's Day to National Mom's Night Out - do you get the feeling we need some time to recognize, celebrate and appreciate women and moms?!

Our guest on our NEW podcast is RACHEL HAMMAN. Rachel founded "National Mom's Night Out" - which is coming up on March 20th. In addition, Rachel wrote Mom's Night Out - Even inmates get time off for good behavior! Rachel tells us more ...

About National Mom’s Night Out

Who could use a break? If you are a mom, you probably raised both hands at once. That’s why I’ve founded a new holiday for all of us overworked, underappreciated moms. “National Mom’s Night Out” is the third Thursday in March, and it’s a celebration which encourages moms to leave the little ones and hubby at home for one night. It’s a guilt-free excuse for moms to go have fun with friends and reconnect with who they are besides being a mom. Skeptics (read: “husbands”) might argue, “You already have a holiday… It’s called Mother’s Day.” I would answer them by respectfully pointing out that although we do celebrate being moms on Mother’s Day, we do so as a family. We go out to brunch with our kids or see a movie (probably a cartoon) with our children. This is all well and good, but nowhere on that day do we get to celebrate the other facets of our personality. National Mom’s Night Out lets a mom reclaim a bit of her pre-motherhood identity. It affords us the chance to take off our sweat pants and strap on some sexy heels and go have a good time. (Perhaps trade in our baby bottles for a wine bottle for at least one night.)

Although the third Thursday in March is the “official” date to treat ourselves to a night out without children, I am hoping that moms across the country will carve out time for themselves on a more regular basis. We need to land somewhere near the top of our own “to-do” lists to ensure that our spirits stay recharged. Making time for yourself may seem selfish, but taking care of number one makes it possible for you to take care of the rest of your family more effectively.

So, set the laundry aside and leave money out for your kids to order pizza and come join me for National Mom’s Night Out!

Thanks Rachel for founding National Mom's Night Out and for talking with Girlfriendology on our new Podcast!

*For details visit www.RachelHamman.com