Afraid not, just the sound of kids jumping off the bed in the room above me, reveling in the freedom that is summer break. It is the eleventh hour, not even a day before the July issue goes to print, and there is a gaping hole where the Publisher’s Note belongs. “Welcome to the life of the self-employed, work-from-home, summer mom,” my trusty editor Karen says to me. “You’ll survive,” she assures me.
THAT remains to be seen. I tweet out to the universe that I’m relatively sure Phineas and Ferb have created some unrealistic expectations of what to expect from this summer vacation (yeah, they watch it, sorry…at least it’s not SpongeBob). A friend tweets back: It’s all about the kids using their imaginations and Mom never finding out what they have done, right? Sounds like a pretty easy summer to me. Sure, in theory, except at these ages, it goes something like this: “Mom, I need four paper towel tubes, some masking tape, and a blow torch.” Thank goodness there aren’t really “104 days of summer vacation” like the theme song says!
We really are having loads of fun this summer, and I promise, I’m not wishing it away. And we really have been hard at work here at RFM. In addition to this fantastic, jam-packed July issue, we also have a few other exciting things to share with you. First is our newly redesigned website, RFMonline.com. We’ve made it even easier for you to find all of our past articles, your favorite writers, the topics that interest you, and all sorts of great information and events from around our area. While you’re there, you can answer this month’s poll question, read our latest reviews, and enter to win this month’s contest, a family four pack of tickets to Body Worlds & the Brain at the Science Museum of Virginia.
Our next piece of exciting news is a big one, especially for summer travelers and lovers of e-reading. You can now download every issue of RFM to your iPad! That’s right, RFM is an app! Find us in the App Store or Android Market, and then download all your favorite issues, for on-the-go reading no matter where this summer takes you. You’ll be the first to get the new issue each month, at least two days before it hits stands around town. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a big believer in words on paper, REAL paper, and I still think (and you have proved to me!) That folks enjoy sitting down with a good book or magazine in their precious spare time. But we’re realistic, and we know that times are a changin’, as is the way folks like to read. We want to make sure no matter how you choose to read, you can read your RFM. So download the app today, and stay tuned for the good news that you can download it to your Nook and Kindle too. That’ll be coming soon!
Oh, and with all that thumping upstairs, I almost forgot to mention the best part: We’re giving away an iPad! That’s right, for every issue you purchase in the App Store between now and September 30, you’ll automatically be entered to win an iPad.
No matter how you’re reading this issue of RFM, enjoy it!
