Raise your hand if you failed to accomplish all of your summer bucket list items! Yeah, me too. You know what they say about the road to… well, you know. The summer starts off slowly enough, but boy, by the time the Fourth of July rolls around, it seems like it just flies by until Labor Day is upon us. And darn it, I haven’t even had a really good Hanover tomato BLT yet! Between this summer’s many rainy days, we did manage to spend some quality time in the James River Park System, and we enjoyed more than a beautiful day or two window-shopping at Short Pump Mall. If you ask me about those summer home projects or our family’s summer reading though, I’m pleading the fifth!
And here we are at the start of another school year, full of anticipation. If you’ve been with RFM since our start in 2009, isn’t it hard to believe my boys are now in fifth and seventh grades?! It’s crazy to think that this is the last year of elementary school for us, and before I know it, I’ll be just like so many of my friends on Facebook who have been posting pictures of their kids settling in to their college dorm rooms. (I know, I know – don’t blink!)
With the RFM team’s kids growing up before our eyes (and yours), we know that RFM’s content has also grown over these last nine years. Much more than a parenting magazine, we’re proud that RFM has evolved into Richmond’s go-to active family lifestyle magazine, with something in each issue for families at every stage of the game. We even hear from Richmonders who don’t have kids of their own that they love our informative and relevant topics and all-encompassing calendar of area events. And this month, we’re introducing a new editorial department, just for you new and expectant parents (and grandparents, too!). Check out Baby Steps on page 32 to read some tips and updates on feeding your baby from Dr. Liv Schneider. We’ll keep the baby info coming in future issues with local pediatricians weighing in with their expert advice, so stay tuned.
There’s so much more in this issue, too, including Joan Tupponce’s takeaways from her visit with NBC12’s Sarah Bloom, who perhaps had the most eventful summer of all – she had a baby! We’ve missed her on air this summer, but know she enjoyed her time with her brand-new daughter, two sons, and hubby. This fun read about Sarah’s background, her actual and “sunrise squad” families, and the sweet things her colleagues have to say about her starts on page 16.
A long-overdue visit to Old Towne Petersburg is definitely on my family’s fall to-do list after reading Paige Tucker’s fun suggestions for places to visit there – check them out beginning on page 28. I for one can’t wait to try a Dixie Dog!
Enjoy the end of summer, beginning of fall, and this issue of RFM!
