What a whirlwind the holidays were – did you feel that way, too?
I kept telling the kids it was too soon to watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas, and it was too soon to go see tacky lights, and it was too soon to Christmas shop, and then all of a sudden, WHAM! It was here! And now… it’s over!
January is universally known as the month to recharge, reflect, and resolve. My resolutions are the same as everyone’s – to do more of the two things that are good for me but that I make no time for – reading and exercising. One of the two is actually happening without me even making an effort. I call it back-dooring into resolution fulfillment. (This also happens with the divorce diet, I’m told, but it’s not recommended.) For me, it was reading, and it happened because darn it, as much as I wish it weren’t so, these kids of mine are growing up (sniff). What once was a nightly ritual of reading to my son evolved into reading with my son, and then morphed into him reading to me. And now, we are at the point where we read to ourselves, together. At first, it was oddly quiet and a little weird, after eight and a half years of hearing each other’s voices each night, practicing tone and inflection, laughing at the silly parts of the story, discussing the characters and the setting. Now, I’m settling into the new routine and am looking forward to “my night” (every other) with my older son so I can get through a chapter or two of my book while snuggled up next to him.
Yes, time marches on, and it doesn’t take the flip of the calendar to tell me it’s so. The toothless grin from this year’s Christmas pictures will soon be replaced by shiny new grown-up teeth (that you’ll be able to see from space, if he takes after his mother), the homework will get harder and harder, and the bedtime rituals will morph into something new.
Here at RFM, we’re starting off the year right by putting a fresh look on your favorite magazine (it is your favorite, right?). Our cover has a crisp new look that really makes our awesome real Richmond cover kid stand out. We’ve updated some graphics, and we’ve made some helpful changes to one of your favorite parts of the magazine – the calendar! Because you asked for it, the day of the week has been added to each date to help busy families keep it all straight. We know you take the RFM calendar very seriously.
Best of luck to you as you work on those New Year’s resolutions, whatever they may be. All of us at RFM wish you a safe and healthy year, and thanks for starting it out with us!
