New York New York...upcoming trips May 20-22 and May 28-30. Book by April 15.

Keep the challenge going... We feel that there should be more men reading our ezine. Afterall, our advice is not gender specific. So here is our challenge to you. Get 3 men to sign up for our ezine and you get 10% off your next service or a free 30 min consultation through April 1. In order to avoid violating federal spamming regulations, the guys must go to the website and sign up themselves. You cannot do it for them. All you need to do is send us an email with "referral" in the subject line of who you recommend and we will send you a 10% off coupon when they sign up. We also welcome guy friendly suggestions for article topics.

Spring Fling...Activities for You, Your Gal Pals and Your Guy Friends

Leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again........

Spring is the perfect time to travel. Take advantage of low off season prices and smaller crowds. Who said that you had to wait until summer to go on vacation. Try it, you might find that you vacation in the spring every year. For longer trips, try these spring time suggestions, but be prepared to be flexible with travel dates to receive the best discounts:

Costa Rica has something for everyone...city life, beaches, mountains and even jungles. All inclusive 10 day tours start from $1000 and you can see it all or book an all inclusive resort package.

Puerto Rico is an island that offers it all and you don't even need a passport.

Europe: Take advantage of low airfares in the spring before all of the tourists hit the airways. Student prices are available on many airlines. Find airfare for under $300 roundtrip/per person on major carriers to many European destinations.

In the US: Don't want to leave the continental US? Check out Independence Air's East Coast fares. Tons of destinations and low fares.

For a short drive, we recommend Williamsburg, Cape May NJ, NYC (of course), Philadelphia, Atlantic City or a cabin in the mountains.

Want to stay in the area? The DC metro area offers lots of local activities and events in the spring. Check out your local city paper to find events near you.

Plan a weekend away even if you don't leave your state. Time away is a way to recharge your batteries and relax. Call us if you are at a loss as to what to do and when.

Speaking of recharging batteries, the ON THE GO 4 U office will be closed from Mar 14-Mar 20 while we recharge ours. Should you have an urgent need, we will be checking email from time to time while we traverse the Iberian peninsula.

Decorating: Spring Cleaning!
By ON THE GO 4 U Design Consultant Suzanne Copenhaver

It is time to do an inventory of your household goods. This is the perfect time of year to weed out your decorating problems. Take a tablet and go from room to room. In each room, take a good look at everything. Is anything in the room worn, outdated, outsized or just no longer used?

If you are bored with the way your rooms look, now is the time to clean them out and freshen them up. Be ruthless!

1. If something is worn out beyond repair, put it out for the trash. A lot of areas have a large item pick up around this time of year, so if the chair is threadbare or the cushions are shot, get rid of it. Curtains faded? Get rid of them!
2. If you have items you are just tired of and don’t want anymore, put them away for a tag sale.
3. If you have things you are tired of but still might want to use, label them, and store them. Make sure you know where they are and put them away in such a way as to prevent damage.
4. If you have furniture that is worn but still usable, call your local goodwill or rescue mission and let someone else benefit from it.

After you’ve made a list of everything you want to eliminate, make arrangements for getting it out of your house (and that doesn't mean moving it all to the garage in a heap). When your rooms are as empty as they are going to get, spend a little time in them deciding how you want them to look. Now you can start decorating. Something as simple as clearing out, applying a coat of paint and rearranging the furniture can give you a whole new look.

Click here to read our article on achieving balance in your home decor. This is a good article to read after you have emptied the house of unwanted items.

For the latest on what is new and what's not in 2005, read Sheffield School of Interior Design's article on the latest trends coast to coast.

Dinner Party Cont'd
Setting the Table

Presentation, presentation, presentation!

You can prepare the most appetizing food and then ruin it by poor presentation. How many people have seen the commercial for the Kohler sink? The woman is dressed to the nines with fabulous food for her guests and is serving it on paper plates with plastic forks because she doesn't want to get the new sink dirty. Contrary to what some experts may say, there is a time and place for plastic/paper...a picnic...casual buffet dining...a BBQ. I have to admit that even for a picnic I have a matching set of picnicware (not paper), however.

Practice makes perfect. Incorporate a matched, properly set table into your daily routine. I am not suggesting that for a family dinner that you break out the heirloom china and silver. I am suggesting that you always set a matched table even if you are using your daily corelleware. I know some of you may be shocked by this, but it doesn't take any longer to put out 4 matching forks than it does 4 mismatched ones. In fact, why do you even have mismatched silverware in the drawer in the first place? Get rid of it! You can get a decent set of daily silverware even if you are on a budget. The same goes with glassware, plates, bowls and even serving pieces. And please don't tell me you don't need serving dishes because you are serving from the pan. If you don't have anything that matches and are on a budget, start replacing one set of items each month until you have completed everything.

So now, I have taken the challenge in setting a table out of the equation...just open the cupboards and set the table. Everything matches! I am not suggesting for one minute that your chopsticks should match your dishes like mine (ok maybe I am) but start with the basics and work your way up.

For complete details and drawings on table settings for different occasions, visit Scrumptious Appetizers & More. Stay tuned next month as we talk about the necessities for a cocktail party and in the meantime, take an inventory of your kitchen/dining items and see what you are missing.

Book & Music Review

Our top book pick for this month is La Ciudad de las Bestias (City of the Beasts) by Isabel Allende. Although this book has been labeled as her first children's book, it is a children's book in the way that Harry Potter is...appropriate for children but loved by adults. Set in the Amazon jungle, this book has all of the mysticism and spiritualism of Isabel Allende's other works.

In the music world...Grammy's or No Grammy's...we still have our favorites and David Broza is one of those. Although his most recent CD was a compilation of old songs under a new label, we still like the originals. Our two favorite albums are Stone Doors and the self titled David Broza.

Have you read a book that you think ON THE GO 4 U readers would enjoy? Send us an email. No time to read a book? Call us now!