AP9 Articles

Your Savings Club Offers Tips for the Greenest St. Patrick’s Day Party Ever

Your Savings Club (SM), a premier entertainment and shopping savings program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, has some great ideas to make any St. Patrick’s Day party a blast.

St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on March 17, is a great excuse for a party and can help the winter-weary shake off the doldrums. Ideas for an Irish-themed party can extend as far as one’s imagination and budget allow.

All that’s really needed is a fun environment and plenty of good food and refreshments. Then let guests do the rest, advises AP9*YourSavingsClub.

AP9 Your Savings Club helps set the stage, a green one.

While going green has a different meaning these days, around this time of year, it’s all about enjoying good food and drink with friends and family with an Irish twist, of course. Party goods stores offer a wide selection of decorations.

-- If invitations are being sent out, have a wee bit of fun by using the prefix “O” or “Mac” before guests’ names.

-- Decorate with green streamers, green light bulbs or green helium balloons.

-- Scatter cardboard shamrocks and gold, foil-wrapped chocolate coins about the house.

-- Position a large rock (we suggest a fake one, to save a trip to the chiropractor) near the door with a sign directing guests to kiss the rock for the gift of blarney before entering. Blarney, or talkativeness, is just what’s called for at a party!

-- Dig out that dated, but oh so green, blazer from the back of the closet. Don’t forget the green slacks, the fashion faux pas that once saw time on the golf course.

-- Pick up some paper leprechaun hats for guests.

-- Put some Irish music on, whether it’s traditional Irish ballads, Van Morrison, Enya or U2.

Green eggs and ham

Wondering what to serve? Your Savings Club advises:

-- If guests won’t lose their appetite, get out the green food coloring to dye everything from mashed potatoes to beer.

-- Decorate food with tiny Irish flags.

-- Experienced cooks can’t go wrong with traditional favorites like corned beef and cabbage. Many websites offer free recipes for this and other classics like Irish soda bread, beer cheese bread and Irish scones. Whet the palate with Irish cream liqueur or hot whiskey punch. Top it all off with Irish coffee and mint chocolate ice cream. Or bake a cake with (what else?) green icing.

-- For something simpler, use a cookie-cutter to make clover-shaped sandwiches. Put out bowls of green M&Ms, stock up on beer (green Gatorade and green Kool-Aid for the non-alcoholic crowd), and call it a day, suggests AP9 YourSavingsClub.

AP9 Your Savings Club Takes a Look at End-of-Summer Movie Releases

The end of summer doesn’t mean movie theatres are taking a few months off before holiday releases arrive, reports AP9 Your Savings Club, a leading membership discount shopping program from Adaptive Marketing LLC^®. In fact, there are a variety of late-summer films that should please fans of every genre.

While the wave of summer blockbusters may have crested, late-summer releases mark the beginning of Oscar® season, the time of year when the movie studios roll out their best bids for Academy Award® consideration. By waiting until the second half of the year, the studios hope to keep these films in the forefront of voters’ minds as the nomination process approaches, notes AP9 YourSavingsClub.

While AP9 Your Savings Club has no horse in any race, it can offer a look at some of the movies to keep an eye out for as summer wanes:

-- August 24: “Dedication” is a light-hearted romantic drama about a children’s book author who has to team up with a beautiful illustrator after his best friend and creative partner passes away. Starring Mandy Moore and Billy Crudup, “Dedication” marks the directorial debut of Justin Theroux. Also opening is “Mr. Bean’s Holiday,” Rowan Atkinson’s return to the big screen in the comedic role that made him famous.

-- August 31: Exactly two months ahead of time, acclaimed director Rob Zombie launches “Halloween,” the latest in the terrifying franchise. In this chapter, Zombie takes the audience back in time to find out where Michael Myers came from — and why he turned out that way.

-- September 7: The screen version of the bestseller “The Nanny Diaries” hits theatres on this date, starring Scarlett Johansson as Annie Braddock, a working-class lass who takes a job as a mother’s helper for an upper-crust family on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney play Mr. and Mrs. X, Ms. Braddock’s picky employers. Also debuting in a limited release is “In the Shadow of the Moon,” a documentary about the Apollo missions from 1968 to 1972 that flew men to the moon and back, featuring previously unseen footage and interviews with the surviving members of these flights. David Sington’s film received the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

-- September 14: “Moondance Alexander,” starring Kay Panabaker, Lori Loughlin, Sasha Cohen and Don Johnson, is a family film inspired by a true story about a young teen who forms a meaningful bond with a possible champion jumping horse. The film was recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking — Family Film by the 2007 Newport Beach Film Festival. Also arriving in theatres is “Mr. Woodcock,” a comedy about a man who returns to his hometown to find out that his mother has fallen for the high school gym teacher he despised in his youth. Billy Bob Thornton, Seann William Scott and Susan Sarandon headline a strong cast.

-- September 21: Among the films debuting on this date are “In the Valley of Elah,” which stars Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon and tells the tale of a U.S. soldier who goes missing after returning from Iraq; and “Shine a Light,” a documentary about the Rolling Stones’ last two concert tours, directed by Martin Scorsese.

Movie lovers of every stripe will find something appealing in theatres as fall approaches — and they’re sure to find attractive savings on movie tickets, among other great entertainment values, available through AP9 YourSavingsClub.

AP9 Your Savings Club Presents the Ultimate Theme Park Guide

AP9 Your Savings Club, a premier discount membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, invites adults to let their inner child out so they can openly enjoy one of the most popular activities of the summer — theme parks. Sure, theme parks are thought of as the #1 kid destination, and in most cases, it is one of the least appealing activities for parents. However, AP9 YourSavingsClub presents a few tips to help everyone enjoy their next trip to an amusement park … yes, even the parents.

AP9 Your Savings Club urges parents to plan ahead, work on their patience and learn to have a little fun. Keep in mind that a positive attitude goes a long way. Parents can have a great time simply by noticing how much fun the children are having — hopping on a ride or two wouldn’t hurt either. It’s as simple at that. However, AP9 YourSavingsClub goes the extra mile in making the theme park experience a happy one by providing the following tips:

-- Plan ahead. Researching the ins and outs of the park — new rides, amenities offered, ride restrictions and health warnings — before arriving can save walking time and allow more time for fun. Locating a map of the park and sitting down with the entire family to plan a course of action beforehand can potentially make or break the trip.

-- Get physically ready. A trip to a theme park means walking long hours. Training the kids (and yourself) in advance for the ultra-long walk is important. Trying walking around the neighborhood each night after dinner in the weeks before you leave — you might find that it’ll help your endurance as well as your health.

-- Don’t follow the crowds. An excellent idea is to avoid the crowds. Shorter lines and fewer crowds is the way to go and can be achieved by starting with the attractions in the back instead of the ones closer to the front entrance. And avoid the food courts between noon and two — eat an early or late lunch.

-- Be prepared. Being prepared doesn’t mean carrying a backpack full of everything you may need while visiting a theme park. The idea here is to bring a light bag with useful items in travel sizes, like sunscreen, allergy or motion sickness medicines, etc. Distribute snacks and drinks among the oldest members of the family, and shop for souvenirs and stuffed animals at the end of the day, notes AP9 Your Savings Club.

-- Listen to the kids’ opinions. They helped plan the itinerary for a reason, so asking them what they liked the best every day and what other things they’d like to do are an excellent way to keep everyone involved and excited about the trip.

Please remember that if things don’t go as originally planned — don’t sweat it. Simply enjoy the experience, the rides and especially the quality time with the family. Happy travels this summer, concludes AP9 YourSavingsClub.

AP9 YourSavingsClub Offers Tips for Proper Sun Care

Behold pale-looking skin! Summer is coming, and people are ready to go from colorless to colorful, with a tan to show off from head to toe. Members of AP9 YourSavingsClub, a leading discount program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, can use their membership to get discounts on all the things they need to enjoy the sun while protecting their skin.

The worst consequences of excess sunbathing (skin cancer, coarse skin and more) tend to build up over time and show up years down the road, when there’s little or nothing a person can do. That’s why AP9 Your Savings Club reminds consumers about the importance of taking safety measures before, during and after any kind of exposure to the sun —but especially during summer.

Before:

Eat right. Good eating habits and maintenance will not only help the skin look good but also prevent skin cancer, sun damage and other skin conditions, notes AP9 YourSavingsClub. Sun lovers must include antioxidants, vitamins A, C and E, zinc and selenium in their diet, since these nutrients can help the body and skin produce melanin (pigment that’s the primary determinant of human’s skin color) and fight against the damage produced by free radicals and all UV rays.

Baby Steps. It’s wise to “prep” the skin with deep moisturizing lotions and weekly exfoliation to remove dead cells. Start with short exposures to the sun — 15 minutes, max — so the skin gets used to the sun all over again.

During:

Use sunblock or sunscreen. The skin will react to the sun no matter what, so it’s better to play safe and disregard tanning lotions. A healthy color and glow can be achieved using sunblock or sunscreen, which form an invisible barrier in the skin against the sun. Sunblock is usually thicker and doesn’t have SPF because it protects against all types of UV rays. Sunscreen, on the other hand, is SPF rated — the lower the number, the less protection the sunscreen offers, reports AP9 Your Savings Club.

Set limits. The best hours to be under the sun are before 10 am and after 3 pm. For those who are going to be exposed to the sun all day long, sunblock is a must, and it should be reapplied at least every 80 minutes. It’s also important to take breaks under the shade and drink lots of water.

After:

Moisturize. Nurture the skin with after-sun lotions that contain moisturizers and anti-inflammatory properties. Aloe vera is a key ingredient to look for.

Keep the color. Avoid peeling by maintaining a hydrated the skin. Apply lotions with seaweed or aloe vera, and exfoliate at least every 10 days.

Like a good day under the sun, discounts are always welcomed. And when it comes to looking tanned for less, consumers can enjoy members-only prices every day of the year through AP9 Your Savings Club.