General Busy-ness: August 2013

In our last installment, I was about to leave for BlogHer. Thankfully, that's been well-covered here, so let's move on to some of the non-blogging news of the past month.

First there was a bit of excitement at work as we hit the billion dollar mark in our newer product, which I've been involved in since the very beginning. It's been really thrilling to see it take off the way it has, and I'm proud to be part of it. Now on to the next billion.

We joined the JCC outdoor pool for the month of August, and I tried to take the kids swimming as often as I could. Hannah is a strong swimmer, but Max is still a beginner, so I spent a lot of time at his side in the water. However, he now can back float unassisted, and I got them to pose for this picture for me.

Both kids really enjoyed their time at Kaleidoscope Arts & Sciences Camp this summer, particularly Arts Nite. It was so fun to see Max participate for the first time (as a Bass Fish in "Rainbow Fish") and Hannah really entertained us as a sailor, sea creature, chef and princess in "The Little Mermaid." I was so proud of both of them.

Arts Nite also marked my first outing with my new camera! I've been wanting a DSLR for quite a while now, and I'm excited to learn to use it. Already I've gotten some great shots that I know I wouldn't have gotten with my old camera, including this one of Max's first lost tooth after an exciting morning riding the Duck Boats in Boston.

After camp ended the kids got to spend a fun few days in Connecticut with Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John while Marc and I worked and enjoyed a couple of fancy dinners out. No pictures as we were too busy enjoying ourselves. :)

It wasn't too long before Max lost his second tooth, but this time it was at Grandma Susan and Grandpa Hal's house, where the Tooth Fairy has been known to be a bit more generous. The kids and I had a great trip to Ohio, including a trip to President Garfield's home where the kids became Junior Park Rangers, and a stop at Chagrin Falls for some Superman ice cream (Uncle Ryan's favorite).

And with one last long weekend, summer is coming to a close. Hannah starts fourth grade on Tuesday, and Max starts KINDERGARTEN on Wednesday. What's that you say? You can hear my excitement right through the screen? Could that be because I have a column about just this subject coming out in the NEW YORK TIMES MOTHERLODE BLOG next Sunday?!? Yes, after dropping a hint last month that I had something up my sleeve, I'm so excited to finally be able to share this news. I hope you'll all forgive me for the excess self-promotion next week, but this is just such a big deal for me and this little writing hobby. When I started the year hoping for "more," I could never have guessed that it would come in this form, and I am very grateful.

Another summer gone too soon, but there's always more to look forward to doing. For those celebrating this week, l'shana tova umetukah! Happy new year to all of you! Wishing you all the best in 5774.