Time out for you
DJ Mix Academy
NEIGHBORHOOD:
Chelmsford, Danvers, Tyngsboro
For schedule and pricing information, call 877-248-8700.
There are moms who can rock the house, and then there are moms who make the house rock. You'll fall squarely into the latter camp once you've learned all the right moves for spinning, scratching, mixing, and scribbling. No experience is necessary - DJ Mix Academy can walk you through the basics as easily as they can help you perfect your turntable timing. Whichever workshop you choose, odds are good you'll emerge not the coolest mom on your block, but the coolest person, period. Ongoing courses are offered in Boston, Tyngsboro, and Essex. DJMixAcademy.com
GSpa
35 Newbury St.
Back Bay, Boston, MA
617-267-4772
Nothing recharges the soul like a few hours catching up with girlfriends - except, that is, beauty treatments. Throw both in together for a night at the lounge level of GSpa, where groups of six or more getting two services each (the pedis and back-renewing massages would be our picks, but go ahead and choose from brow shaping, facials, manis, and a slew of others) can have exclusive use of the plush room overlooking the Back Bay. Add champagne and the first-rate snacks they'll serve on request, and it's hard to imagine a more blissful way to multitask. Gspa.com
Girls Leap
NEIGHBORHOOD:
Boston, Cambridge
INFO: 617-441-2112
OK, so this one isn't exactly a selfless act, but the rewards feel as good as any pedicure could. Preteen and teen girls need more boosting than ever these days, and Cambridge-based Girls Leap has their back. Volunteer to be trained as a facilitator or mentor with them, and you'll soon be teaching girls how to stand up for themselves - with physical self-defense skills, but also self-knowledge and confidence. This is a particularly great one for moms with sons (lest we forget what their girlfriends contend with growing up) or young daughters (to prepare us for the years ahead). GirlsLeap.org
Saturday Wine Classes at Rialto
Harvard Square
1 Bennett St.
Cambridge, MA
617-661-5050
Does any already harried mom really need a stuffy wine seminar to memorize countless labels and regions for? Self-improvement shouldn't mean self-abuse, and at Rialto's easygoing wine classes, it doesn't. Make plans for a sitter (or daddy day care) for the afternoon and kick back with the restaurant's sommelier, plus three glasses of wine paired with small plates of chef Jody Adams's food. They'll structure the class more as a casual chat than formal class, so you come away having learned one of the primary lessons of wine - how to enjoy drinking it. Call for date and price of the next class. Rialto-Restaurant.com
Urban Gardening Classes
5 Commonwealth Ave.
Back Bay, Boston, MA
617-267-4430
Odds are, if you live in the 'burbs, you've already got the gardening thing figured out. (Either that or you've figured out how to get someone else to do it for you.) But city dwellers needn't abandon hope of being surrounded by beautiful blooms - not with lessons on container gardening from Boston Center for Adult Education under your belt. They teach condo- and apartment-dwelling moms the lowdown on how to create impressive green spaces in only so much as a few feet of dirt or a tiny patio or windowsill. Our favorite part: Once the class is over, working on your garden will keep the moments of personal time going.
The Deluxe Chocolate Bar
The Langham
250 Franklin St.
Boston, MA
617-956-8751
No, we don't exactly recommend going every week. But when only a deep well of chocolate can provide the kind of lift you're after, set your sights on this all-you-can-eat choco-chowdown. Every Saturday, The Langham Hotel's Café Fleuri churns out a massive spread of milk chocolate strawberry mousse cakes, truffles, a doughnut machine, and made-to-order chocolate crepes. It's an almost religious experience on your own (or even as a mommy group outing), though true chocolate fiends won't be able to resist bringing the whole family back. Boston.LanghamHotels.com
Brookline Tai Chi
1615 Beacon St.
Brookline, MA
617-277-2975
Between picking up your 4-year-old nonstop, the endlessly passed around family flu, and the sleep deprivation of lying awake worrying how you're going to get everything done, well, let's face it: You're a mess. Inside and out. So address both planes of existence with weekly tai chi sessions. Considered an internal form of martial arts because it calms the mind with flowing, slowed movements, it's nonetheless based on traditional external arts (that is, fighting forms) that also help with back problems. Moms who do it report boosted energy and better balance, too -- as well as the kind of ability to focus that comes from regular meditation. Introductory and intermediate levels are available and offered four days a week. BrooklineTaiChi.org