You have a busy life, rushing around with kids, work, and all sorts of obligations. When it's time to get away from it all, you don't want that restful experience to be stressful!

My brother’s first massage was while visiting our parents in Illinois for the holidays. The hour long massage at the spa was wonderful, but cars in Chicago get cold really quick in December and relaxed muscles tense-up while shivering uncontrollably waiting for the heat to kick-in and even the best massage can’t maintain its bliss in those circumstances.  

With the crazy stormy weather we've been having here, going out to do anything to get away from it all may send you to a worse mood than where you started. Instead, make a cup of tea and curl up with a good book while treating the kids to 30 minutes of TV. Or take out that special bath salt or soap you’ve been saving for a special occasion and take an extra 15 minutes in the shower to really scrub away the troubles; all you really need is a loofa to feel like you’ve spent an hour in a spa scrub.  

Maybe what you really want is a romantic getaway with your partner, but there's no room in the  budget for a sitter and dinner out. Instead, put the kids to bed, turn off the TV and computers, turn down the lights, set out some cheeses and open a bottle of bubbly, water or wine, and with a blanket on the living room pretend you’re in a meadow in Switzerland, a café in Paris or Central Park in New York. 

Stay in, save money, use a little imagination and you really can get away from it all without leaving the house or spending a dime. Enjoy!