This month it’s back-to-school time for those of us who have kids. The summer has flown by fast again this year! My oldest, Carson, will be going into second grade, and Addison will be starting her first year at Regency Place as a kindergartener. She is so excited. This will be my first year with both of the kids gone all day at school. I’m sure I will feel a little sense of loneliness with them both gone all day, and it will be a little hard to adjust at first. But Addison is ready to go to school like her big brother, and I know the time has come.

We’re hoping to finish up August with a couple of last-minute summer trips before school starts. Baseball season lasted much longer than we thought it would because of all the rain-out make-up games, so we had to push back our vacation. We hope to make it to Colorado to visit my sister and her husband, Jason, as well as my sister-in-law, Tara, her husband, Adam, and their little girl, Ava.

We haven’t been to visit since last fall for my sister’s wedding, and we can’t wait to go. The kids love going to the aquarium and the zoo, and hopefully this year we can hike up in the mountains. We visited once in the summer when the kids were smaller, and we didn’t make it up very far. Now that our kids are older and are eager to go hiking, we’re hoping to make it a little farther and enjoy the scenery along the way. I’ve never gone before, and I am looking forward to it as much as the kids. They hear my sister and Tara talk about it, and they can’t stop talking about hiking themselves.

The same goes for when I go running. Every time I get dressed to go, Carson is asking eagerly to go running with me. I am thrilled that he loves to go running, but at the same time, that’s what I consider my “alone time.” I like to get out and run at my own pace for a lot longer than he can keep up for. But how can you tell your 7-year-old no to something he loves to do? So he goes running for about a mile or two, while Addison rides her bike with us. Then I come back around by our house and drop them off and then go for a real run. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Enjoy what’s left of summer, as we all know that fall slowly creeps up on us!

Special Notes

Deer Creek Family Dental Care is offering a great back-to-school special this month. For only $40, you can have a cleaning, exam, x-rays, and a fluoride treatment done. Call Deer Creek today. See their ad on page 32.
Want to lose fat and tone-up fast? Lifestyle Fitness offers personal training and fitness boot camps for both beginners and workout pros. See their special on page 21.

Say bye-bye to cellulite with Sleek Physique. Endermologie helps to eliminate cellulite, tighten skin, is FDA-cleared, non-invasive, painless, effective, and affordable. For more information on their special this month, see their ad on page 7.

Sazzy’s, a lingerie boutique, is moving from the Great Mall to 135th and Roe inside Parkway Plaza. For their current monthly special, see their ad on page 40.

It’s summer and you know what that means! It’s time to make sure your hands and feet are looking their best. Call Kathy at Kathy’s Nail Garden to take advantage of this month’s special. See her ad on page 37.

Dr. Mark Jensen, DDS, specializes in family and cosmetic dentistry with over 17 years of experience. If you’re unhappy with your smile, he can help. See his ad on page 31 for a summer special that runs through the end of August.

Midwest Reproductive Center is seeking healthy women between the ages of 21 and 30 to help childless couples through egg donation. Donors will receive generous compensation for their time and travel. See their ad on page 8 and in the color Joy of Living special section for more information.

We would like to thank the Assisted Living Directory for their help with last month’s Generations column, Help Through Assisted Living. You can visit them at their Web site www.assisted-living-directory.com.

Positive Thought of the Month

“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.”
—O, The Oprah Magazine