Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or Laura@GuidingYourMove.com.
Teachers are already back to work at FCPS and gearing up for #FirstDayFairfax. Hard to believe it’s only one week away!
Some kids are excited, others are nervous and some are sad to see summer go. Regardless of how your kids feel, why not plan a celebration for them (and you!) for the first day of school!
Just a tip — especially if you have a kindergartner or maybe you moved to a new school — plan something for yourself for the first day of school if you don’t have work to distract you so you’re not worrying about them all day!
Here are some suggestions on ways to celebrate the return to school:
Card My Yard: Whether it’s at your home or at the school (looking at you, PTA), it’s a fun little thing to make a great photo op or fun walking destination.
Sweet Treats: What kid doesn’t love an afternoon treat?
- Crumbl Cookies
- Nothing Bundt Cake
- Kiln & Co. custard
- Ben and Jerry’s
- Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard (opens this Friday!)
- Milkshakes at Social Burger or Elevation Burger
- Pie Gourmet
- Magnolia Dessert Bar
Parents: if you have the ability, why not schedule a mimosa break after drop off to celebrate the start of school? Or a coffee date with a friend.
Or, if you’re like me and go on a cleaning rampage once they’re out, next week I’ll have a highlight of places to donate toys, clothes, etc.
Enjoy your last week of summer!

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Camps are just the beginning of what’s in store at Art House 7 this summer. We’re thrilled to offer an array of exciting classes for both kids and adults!Rediscover your creativity with some of our AH7 favorites, such as drawing, hand-sewing, modern embroidery, and our popular 3-week Jump into Crochet classes. But that’s not all! We’ve added some fresh and exciting options to our summer class selection, guaranteed to spark your imagination.
To enhance your artistic journey, we have intensified some of our Ceramics: The Wheel classes to a full 3-hour duration. This extended time allows for more creativity and skill development in each class session. If you’re eager for a captivating twist, give Contemporary Still-Life Drawing & Painting a go. Or why not try an immersive outdoor painting adventure? We have a unique opportunity for you to bring your painting skills to life while learning and creating in the great outdoors with our Landscape Painting: Studio and Plein Air class!
We invite you to visit our website and explore our full Summer Session schedule, brimming with a diverse range of classes and camps. Classes and camps begin June 20th. Unleash your inner artist, broaden your horizons, and embark on a summer adventure like no other. Let’s make this a summer to remember at Art House 7!

Potomac Harmony Chorus has a new director! We’re ready
to kick off the season with new music, a new approach, and YOU!
Potomac Harmony is one of 500 choruses in Sweet
Adelines International. We’re a vibrant,
contemporary, inclusive, welcoming, and open community of women singers who
perform four-part harmony, barbershop style, committed to a high level of
achievement through teaching, mentoring, personal growth, and performance. Our vision is to entertain, educate, and
enrich lives through musical expression while promoting the barbershop art
form.
Potomac Harmony recently had our first performance
with our new director, receiving rave reviews! We invite you to stop by any Wednesday
evening and be part of the fun and harmony!
Army Birthday Festival – Free and Fun
Make Saturday, June 10, 2023 a great day!
Come celebrate the Army Birthday Festival at the National Museum of the U.S. Army from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Rain or Shine!
• Experience outdoor and indoor fun activities, for all
Unveiling of West Ford historical highway marker
Gum Springs will be celebrating 190 years of its founding by freedman West Ford on Saturday, June 17, 2023. To kick-off the celebration, there will be an unveiling of a Virginia historical highway marker for West Ford on Fordson Road