Well...I did it.  I put my little man on a bus this morning and held my tears back just long enough to waive goodbye to the bus.  And then, I seriously lost it.  I cried like I have not cried in years.  The past several days have been a total whirlwind between my work trip to San Fran, then heading back for Back-to-School Night and Sneak Preview day, then my son's 5th birthday party this past weekend followed by him starting kindergarten today.  I just keep asking where the past 5 years have gone.  They have completely flown by.  I found myself seriously questioning whether we had made the right decision to send my son to school this year and found myself saying to my husband, "I am just not sure he is ready."  He asked whether the real issue was our son being ready or me being ready and that is when it hit me that no matter how much I have mentally prepared for this day, I was never going to be ready for it.

I hope for all of you sending your little (or not-so-little) ones to school this week, that the transition is a smooth and positive one.

This week we have advanced screening passes to Finding Nemo 3D, as well as some great upcoming events. 

If you have a craft or recipe you would like to see included in the newsletter, please e-mail it to me at [email protected] with subject NEWSLETTER.  Also, please send a pic and be sure to include your byline as you would like it to appear.  Also, if your teen or pre-teen every writes an article they would like to submit (book or movie review, things to do in our area, etc.), please feel free to send that along as well!  I'd love to give them the chance to be published nationally (which might look great on a resume...hint, hint)... Oh, and if you ever know of events for older kids, PLEASE share them with me!!  My son is almost 5, so I know I am not in the pre-teen/teen scene yet, but would love to add more events for kids of all ages to the calendar.

THANK YOU to our site sponsors who allow us to bring you this free newsletter and website every week!  We could not do this without their support!  Please be sure to show some super Mac Kid love to MarVaTots'n Teens, Willow House with Lani, My Gym Kentlands, Adventure Kids Playcare, and Sabrina at Pixie and Pirate Destinations!  We'll be running a special Work From Home business directory in mid August so please write me if you'd like more info about advertising your business!  All ads for this section must be reserved by August 15th.  Please e-mail [email protected] for a copy of our media kit and more info on any of these specials.  

Remember that in addition to the event listings, remember there are LOTS more events listed in the updated weekly events article including open gyms, story times at the local libraries, craft workshops and more.  We also have a Kids Eat Free or Cheap section, a Now Showing section with current productions at local theaters, and a Macaroni Kid Saves section.

Until next time...Peace, Love and Macaroni!

Lani