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Just For Parents: Resources for Wired Families
Real Families, Real FUN: Just For Parents
Just For Parents: Resources for Wired Families
By Mark Frauenfelder for REAL FAMILIES, REAL FUN
So, you’ve dropped the kids off at the babysitter or the grandparents’, and you have a few hours to relive the halcion days of life B.C. (Before Children). Rule Number One: Plan ahead! Time alone with your spouse is precious and necessary to keep you from going bonkers, so make sure you’re all set to go as soon as your children are in safe hands. To help you plan your fabulous date visit the following sites:
- Moviefone.com (http://www.moviefone.com)
"Hello, and welcome to Moviefone!" The obnoxious Moviefone announcer is happily absent from this site, but with several ways to search the site, it’s got what you need to find a good flick in your neighborhood.
- Zagat.com (http://www.zagat.com)
Read other diners’ reviews of the restaurants in your area. Palm users can buy Zagat software from the site, too.
- Ticketmaster.com (http://www.ticketmaster.com)
Come here for plays, opera, sports, music, and museums.
- Citysearch.com (http://www.citysearch.com)
The place to go if you’ve been given a longer reprieve. You can find out about day spas, outdoor activities, golf, cultural tours, festivals and all the other fun things you used to do with your spouse.
Maybe you have an entire weekend to getaway. Plan your minivacation at Bed & Breakfast Online (http://bbonline.com) and make a reservation at one of 2,750 inns.
Nervous about handing your child to a babysitter? Make sure he or she knows what to do in case of an emergency. Print out the guide (http://www.sosnet.com/safety/babysitters.tips.html), and go over it with the babysitter before you leave.
Even if you can’t get away from the house, you can still relax. If you are in a room where you can’t hear your child if he or she needs you, get the Evenflo Monitor & Intercom, an excellent $60 unit that doubles as a 2-way intercom (http://www.evenflo.com/ep/furniture/monitorinter.phtml).
Oh, and don’t forget Rule Number Two: Enjoy every minute, because it’ll be over sooner than you think!
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