Hello, moms! How was your week?

Are you busy doing your back-to-school shopping? Finding any bargains out there?

Did you get a chance for some time to yourself last week? How about making time for some this week? I have a few ideas for you to relax and unwind.

All this week is Greek Week at the Getaway Cafe. This is the perfect week to get a babysitter and go out to dinner! And no, you can’t just make Greek food at home for dinner one evening; you must go out!

I hear that Lou, the owner of the Getaway, has some really delicious Greek recipes! Some of the many features of the week are baked feta appetizers, Avgolemono soup, pastitsio (Greek lasagna), and of course, baklava for dessert!

There will be many other Greek food items this week, as well as the Getaway’s regular menu. So why not make a date with your special significant other this week and let someone else do the cooking for you?

In other news, Baldwin-Whitehall cornhole fanatics, there is an event for you this weekend, too!

On Saturday, Aug. 20, at 10 a.m., Legacy Lanes will host a Pitcher Park Memorial Skatepark cornhole and ladder-ball tournament. This will be a double-elimination tournament and is limited to the first 128 teams that enter. Teams will be made up of two people, and registration is $40.

Here is the big reason that you are going to want to register, though: First prize is $500 cash. Yes, I said $500 cash!

So, do not procrastinate, cornholers. You can register by calling Legacy Lanes at 412-653-2695 and use your credit card, or go to www.pitcherpark.com.

For those of you just looking for something fun to do with your friends, you can go watch all of the fun, as well. There will be outdoor grilled food and a full kitchen open, and some drink specials all day.

So, whether you want a shot at that $500 or just want to watch the fun, head to Legacy Lanes this Saturday. Proceeds will go to the Pitcher Park Memorial Skatepark in nearby Dormont Borough. So, whether you are having fun playing some cornhole and ladder ball, or just watching, you are doing something to help a worthy cause.

Plus, this could lead to some more mom’s time in the future. For those of you who have not heard, the Pitcher Park Memorial Skatepark will be a safe place for kids to go skating, biking and boarding instead of the local playground or on the streets. In other words: a benefit for the kids and us moms!

So, we are down to only two more weeks before school. If you are like me, you are already gearing up for the big day and have been out getting new clothes and school supplies. But, have you cleared out last year’s school stuff? You know, that whole backpack of stuff that came home at the end of the year last year that is still sitting up in your little darlings’ rooms? You know all the art projects and papers still stuffed in that backpack?

Are you like me and like to save a few of those items for your child when they get older? Why not put it all together in a scrapbook for them? It can be really fun to sit down and sift through all of those papers, believe it or not, and see what your child accomplished last year.

And you may be surprised when you pull out that paper and find out that you are still your child’s hero, or why you make them laugh when they are sad. I think it is really special to look back and see how far they have come in just one school year, and then, to be able to put it all together in a scrapbook for their future for them to be able to look back and see how much they have accomplished throughout their school careers.

Plus, give yourself a pat on the back for all of those lovely art projects and last-minute papers that you helped them finish that are now all neatly bound in one special album.

Don’t forget to take a little time out this week, moms—in between the shopping and children fighting—to pause, breath, look back at what a great school year that we had last year and look forward to another one this year.

Just a little mom’s time for ourselves. We all need some!

Have a great week, and thanks for reading.