Well, it is August – what did we expect?!
If you’ve read RFM for a few years, you know I refuse to make August a back-to-school issue. After all, there is still a third of summer left!
August marks a shift in summer activities in our household. Our second year of swim team has come to a close, and it was another good experience for the boys. But holy smokes, you haven’t experienced torture until you’ve stood next to a beautiful pool on a 95-degree day that you’re not allowed to get into! One of my favorite parts of swim team is watching both teams come together to cheer on the kid who is in dead last place, doing his very best to make it to the other end of the pool. Watching the pride in those little ones’ faces, and the pride radiating from their parents as the kids touch the wall, makes those hot and sweaty meets worth it.
Our summer camps are all wrapped up, too, and wow, did the boys try out some amazing ones this year. I’m here to report that summer camps are a fantastic way to test the waters of a new activity or business you’re thinking of using during the school year. They can be pricey, but by the end of a camp, your child might just have found his passion, uncovered a hidden talent, conquered a fear, or boosted her confidence immeasurably.
I found that finding a buddy or two to go to camp with the kids made it more fun for them and more manageable for me by having a carpool option. My older son learned how to rappel, escape an overturned kayak, and play the bass (a little), while son number two learned to sing in harmony, act with expression, and program an Amazon Alexa. There were so many more camps we wanted to try, but we ran out of weeks. Believe it or not, you’ll find lots of camps all over Richmond with openings in August. Check out our Summer Camp Finder at RFMonline.com. For my family, it’s time to hit the road and visit the grandparents and the beach before the kids head back to you-know-where.
Back on the RFM front, in this month’s issue, we’ll explore the magical, mystical Wizarding World of Harry Potter, inside Universal Studios Orlando. Our resident travel writer, Wendy Irvine, helps answer some of the big questions as far as which parks are where, what to do inside them, and how much everything costs. We’ve been enjoying the book series as read-alouds, so we might need to start saving our pennies for this grand trip. This month’s Real Mom, Hollie Gilman, reminds us that there are lots of times when bringing a meal to a friend is just about the nicest thing we can do. I’ve written in this column before about the warm and fuzzy feeling I get when I actually get my act together and take a meal to a friend. I wish I did it more often, so I hope Hollie’s article will inspire me to be thoughtful in this most delicious way.
Enjoy this issue and another fun month of summer!
