August, it’s the end of summer, the return to school, an ending and a beginning and no holidays in between. If you need something to celebrate, I’m sure you can find something. Start with National Kid’s Day on Aug. 3. (I thought every day was Kid’s Day, but now they have at least one official day.) The goal of the day is to encourage families to spend time together and remind children their ideas and dreams matter. It’s a perfect opportunity to plan a last fun day filled with activities your child, or children, want to get in before that first day of school. 

From Aug. 1 through 7, work on the basics during Simplify Your Life Week. Purge your closets, get rid of junk. Start with one overloaded area of your life at a time and focus on your true priorities. 

During a trip earlier this year, I made a stop at Graceland in Memphis, TN, home of Elvis Presley. When I visited as a child, the house was not yet open to the public. This time I had the chance to go inside. I have to say, I wasn’t too impressed with the house itself. I am sure by ‘70s standards, it was quite the place, but it wasn’t that big and I would have fired that decorator. It was interesting to see how the King lived, though.  

You, too, can get into all things Elvis during Elvis Week, Aug. 9 through 17. The city of Memphis will honor the entertainer with candlelight vigils, musical tributes and tours of the mansion. If you can’t make it to Tennessee, visit Treehouse Games and see how much you know about the King of Rock and Roll. 

How long did it take you to write your thank you notes after the wedding? Are you still working on it? From Aug. 10 through 16, Thanks for All the Gifts Week, gives all those procrastinators the opportunity to send out their gratitude. Continue to show your appreciation during National Friendship Week, Aug. 17-23. Celebrate friends with a call, a card or a night out. 

Did you know that if things had gone a different way, it might have been Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill and Lewis and Clark on Mount Rushmore? Read In A Nutshell for the history behind the monument.  Keep reading to learn how to avoid computer glitches in all those newfangled gadgets. 

Do storms shake you up or just make you nervous? Get prepared with Treehouse Trivia. Then lighten up with a few humorous explanations for engineering terms. 

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