Fredericksburg Parent

6 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • May 2022 parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540-429-3572 EMAIL leighanne@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL webmaster@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540-429-3572 E-MAIL fredparenteditor@gmail.com SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, F'burg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's stan- dards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information con- tained herein, however, the publisher cannot guaran- tee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are subject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2022 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. LIKE facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent SIGN UP www.FredParent.net TWEET twitter.com/fredpar- ent PIN www.pinterest.com/ fredparent FOLLOW @fredparentmagazine WRITTEN BY CHRIS JONES editor's note editor's note Photo by Corey Miller Photography Rediscovering Rediscovering PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR & WEBMASTER Chris Jones Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad MEDIA & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Megan Walsh: Mia, Noelle & Adelaide's mom DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter: Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom CALENDAR & COOL THINGS TO DO ELETTER Caroline Murray: Nate and Brendan's mom EDUCATION & INFANT ELETTERS Debra Caffrey: Aidan's mom SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATOR Jessica Trask: Cye, Asher and Ragan's mom SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Mira Dover MARKETING & EVENT INTERN Ragan Trask Take an Artist's Date to Recharge Your Soul I had a chat with myself about how I wanted this spring and summer to be different—a departure from the seasons of last year (and especially those in 2020). I made the decision to take a step back to examine how I've been moving through life. I'm a busy father with three kids at home. For the most part, if I'm not working or dedicat- ing time to them, I'm reading, walking my neighborhood or journaling. It can be hard to squeeze in time for much else. That got me to thinking about something I used to do fre- quently that stopped in 2020—the artist date. Inspired by Julia Cameron's bestselling book, "The Artist's Way," an artist date is a once each week break from normal life to spend a few hours on a weekend day feeding your inner child or tickling your curiosities. As you may have gathered, like romantic dates, artist's dates can require money, though they don't have to. But, if you're taking yourself out for a treat day, why not splurge a tad to make that inner kid jump for joy? This led me to review all of my subscription services and begin purging those I could live without. During the height of the COVID years, we found ourselves in the house a lot despite play- ing in the front yard, riding bikes, and drawing with sidewalk chalk. My kids still wanted to stream various shows across networks, and it was a great occasion to enjoy a little down time. So, in mid-April, I decided to cancel my subscriptions, keeping only the ones bundled with my phone—Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+—and NBA TV (got to see the Celtics play!). That move saved me about $30-plus a month. Then I cut my internet bill in half by choos- ing a slower speed since the kids aren't home or hybrid learning any longer. Now, for my artist's dates, I have about $80 available each month for personal adventures coupled with anything extra that I add to the pot. I share this because since we've recently celebrated Mother's Day this month, it's impor- tant for moms to think about self-care and what moves the soul. It's easy to lose your identity when it's wrapped up in your family day in and day out. Finding money within the budget for a weekly, biweekly or monthly outing could be the elixir your soul craves and needs. For me, it's been going to Five Below and grabbing bags of the 10 cent candies I ate as a kid, taking a morning to peruse the Farmers' Market, or spending the afternoon with some choice takeout at a favorite park. The options are limitless; the only rule is that you go. As I have learned, the kids will be fine, the house can be cleaned later, and for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon, the only person whose needs you need to meet are you own. You're worth it. Rediscovering Rediscovering Rediscovering Rediscovering ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME Time Time Time Time Time Time Time Time Time Time

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