Happy Labour Day! While I’m off squeezing all the fun I can out of the end of summer, I thought I’d share my August monthly review. Monthly reviews are one of my favourite traditions. Here’s how it works – every month I come up with some things I learned, and not always the easy way. Then, I ask you all to join in with some recent revelations of your own. And we all learn and grow and what-not. Or at least share a laugh at our own expense, because some of these lessons are both hard-fought and funny. Sound good?
So, without further ado, here is what I learned in August – or some of it, anyway.
What I Learned Last Month
1. I discovered the joy of the Legally Blonde musical at Theatre Under the Stars here in Vancouver. Omigod You Guys, I loved it.

2. Both of my kids finished their books for the library’s summer reading club, and got their medals. It was my five-year-old Jacob’s first time, and he was especially proud. I was, too.
3. I visited Playland and tackled the ride that scared the pants off me last year for the second time. I’m happy to say that this time it was much more pleasant. Talking to the ride operator about the safety features in advance proved very helpful to my mental state, and I would even consider doing it again.

4. I ate the first tomatoes of the year from my garden, and the last blueberries. The harvest is sweet in August, indeed.
5. In addition to a day at Playland, I also spent a day at the Northwest Washington Fair and another day at the PNE. This means that I discovered just how much deep fried goodness I can eat. The answer, it turns out, is a LOT.

6. At long last, the first of the renovations on my house started. At the moment where my sunroom used to be there’s a roughed-up frame covered by plywood and plastic, waiting on windows.
7. I watched my kids try their hands at fishing. They didn’t catch anything, but they proved more patient than I expected.

8. I discovered just how much mess three children can make in my kitchen when I decided that baking double chocolate cookies during a play date would be a good idea.
9. I became the mother of a five-year-old boy. It’s pretty sweet, I must say.

10. I learned that summer vacation calls for impromptu outings for fish and chips or ice cream, frequent visits to the park, relaxing your blogging schedule, cooking outside often and saying, “Forget this noise, let’s head to the lake,” once in a while.
I’ve shared what I learned – what did you learn in August? Leave a comment and tell me! Or, if you’d like to play along by writing a review post of your own, link to it in the comments. And please feel free to grab the button from the top of this post.