The staff here at Camden Glen Lakes would like to wish you a very happy Labor Day! We hope that you have a weekend filled with fun, family, and friends.  Next week we would love to see how your weekend went, so take lots of pictures and feel free to post them on our Facebook page!

Fun fact: There are 10.3 million workers in the US who are self-employed.  Are you one of them?

Let’s face it, traveling with children can sometimes be difficult.  That’s more bags to pack, hands to hold, and moods to manage.  But thankfully, there are some ways that you can ease the transition from point A to point B without losing your cool.  Here are some tips from Sarah Kelsey at SheKnows.com:

1. Make plans in advance.  Be sure that wherever you’re planning to travel has ample activities to entertain the kids and that you have everything booked so that you aren’t scrambling the day of.
2. Bring the toys.  Pack something to keep the kids busy on the airplane, whether it’s crayons and paper or some of their favorite games.  A happy (and quiet) child makes a happy parent!
3. Keep it local.  While travel is an important part of growing up, they can learn just as much closer to home as they can abroad provided you have planned the right activities.  Save the bigger family trips for when they’re a little older.
4. Budget for the trip.  Don’t carry around a huge amount of cash, but make sure you have some in the event that you aren’t able to access an ATM machine.  Also bring along a card or two.

For even more helpful travel tips, take a look at Sarah’s article, Secrets of Stress-Free Family Travel.

What tips would you add to this list, Glen Lakes?

The staff here at Glen Lakes loves having you here, and we hope you are enjoying living at our community as well.  We would like to know your favorite part of living here, whether it’s our fabulous amenities, the location, or some other aspect of our property.  Take a minute and answer our poll, or leave us a comment below with your thoughts!

Your favorite rocker, Tom Petty, is back on tour to promote his latest album, Mojo, which was released in June.  Even better news – he’s coming to see us! Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will be performing at Superpages.com Center on September 21.  Yes, it’s a few weeks away, but now is the best time to buy tickets since they might sell out closer to the night of the show.

If you’re excited at the prospect of seeing Tom and his band live on stage, singing hits like “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “Free Fallin’,” and “I Won’t Back Down,” then make sure you are at Superpages.com Center for this show! As an added bonus, ZZ Top will grace the stage as well.

Here is a clip of the band doing one of the songs they’re best known for:

Folks, Restaurant Week is here! That means lots of chances to take advantage of good eats at great prices.  It will run through August 22, but good news! Many of the 138+ restaurants will be extending their participation through September 5.

During Restaurant Week, select restaurants in the area will be offering three-course prix fixe meals for $35.  What a steal! For each meal purchased, $7 will be donated to the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas.  Also, the Central Market Fourth Course is being offered again this year.  Shoppers who spend at least $25 will receive gift certificates for use at participating restaurants for an extra course.  The certificates will be valid for as long as that particular restaurant is a part of Restaurant Week.

Reservations are required, so make sure that you plan ahead.  You can find a complete list of participating restaurants here.

After you get a chance to dine at one of these places, come back here and let us know how you enjoyed it!

In a world where fad diets and “magic” pills abound, it was easy to find articles about foods that enhance your health.  Sadly, many of these articles cite foods that are filled with sugar alcohol and other equally harmful substances as ways to fill you up without filling you out.  Anyone heard of the Cookie Diet? Nuff said.

Keeping all that in mind, the following is a list of foods you shouldn’t forget to add into your diet, courtesy of DietsInReview.com:

1. Whole Eggs – That’s right; even the yolk is healthy, providing the essential choline for a healthy heart.
2. Garbanzo Beans – You can even bake them in the oven for a crunchy and cost-efficient snack.
3. Kale – Apparently, these make great chips.  I’ll have to try that one!
4. Cherries – This delicious fruit has anti-inflammatory properties, making it a great choice for athletes.
5. Almond Butter – This superfood, great on bread or fruit, is an excellent source of Vitamin E, which can actually protect you from getting a cold with its immune system-boosting quality.

So crack it, chop it, and bite off more than you can chew, because these ‘superfoods’ are sure to be welcome additions to your daily healthy lifestyle.

While you can pick these items up at your favorite grocery store, places like Central Market – located under 3 miles away from us – are great for picking up the freshest local ingredients, so go ahead and stock up!

Are you a fan of the hit show So You Think You Can Dance? If so, then you can’t miss out on the opportunity to see some of your favorite contestants live! These talented dancers are coming to Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on September 22.  I know it’s a little bit of a drive, but it’s well worth the effort to see the best of the best.

If you were a devoted watcher this past season, or even if you only caught a show or two, you will probably have noticed that this season’s dancers are some of the best in the whole history of the program.  Regardless of your previous viewing history, if you are interested in purchasing tickets, Ticketmaster is the place to go.

Now that the finale is over and done with and this year’s winner – Lauren – has been crowned, it’s time to start planning for next month as soon as possible.  Will you be attending the show?

Heart…One of the greatest bands of the 80s.  What happened to them? Nothing; they’re still here! In fact, Ann and Nancy Wilson will make a concert appearance in Dallas on Monday, August 23 at the House of Blues.  That’s right; they’re back with a brand new album – “Red Velvet Car” – and they want to see you!

The band has enjoyed an incredible amount of success from the 1970s to present.  In fact, songs like “Alone,” “Crazy on You,” and “What About Love” are still regarded as some of the most influential songs to date.  It’s pretty rare to find someone who doesn’t know a Heart song, even if they don’t know who sings it!

With the release of “Red Velvet Car” at the end of this month, there is lots to look forward to, but if you just can’t wait to see them, check out this clip of Heart singing “What About Love” live.

Will you be at the concert? If so, come back here and give us a full report!

It’s time for Cowboys preseason! Football is taking over Dallas, and now’s your chance to get in on the action.  Show the boys your support this month and head on out to Cowboys Stadium for an exciting game and some socializing with fellow Cowboys fans.

If you are able to get out there to a game, here is where you can find the Cowboys this month:

August 8: Cowboys at Cincinnati (broadcast by NBC National at 7:00 PM)

August 12: Cowboys vs. Oakland (broadcast by KTVT/CBS 11 at 8:00 PM)

August 21: Cowboys at San Diego (broadcast by KTVT/CBS 11 at 8:00 PM)

August 28: Cowboys at Houston (broadcast by CBS National at 7:00 PM)

*Note: The last game of the preseason will take place on September 2 versus Miami at 7 pm.

This is going to be a great weekend at the movies, with 4 new releases at AMC Northpark 15: “Step Up 3D,” “Flipped,” “Middle Men,” and “The Other Guys.” There is a nice assortment of movies already out as well, with selections from every genre on the list.  Currently tops at the box office are runaway hit “Inception,” Angelina Jolie’s thriller “Salt,” and children’s movies “Despicable Me” and “Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.”

It will be interesting to see who snags the top spot this weekend! Just in case you were planning on fitting a movie into your plans, here are the movie times for AMC:

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore 3D

10:00am, 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:20

Charlie St. Cloud

11:30am, 2:15, 5:05, 7:40, 10:10

Despicable Me

11:25am, 1:55, 4:20, 6:55

Despicable Me 3D

10:40am, 1:10, 3:40, 6:20, 8:50

Grown Ups

9:55am, 12:25, 3:10, 5:55, 8:30

Inception

12:20, 3:55, 7:20, 10:45

Inception (Digital ETX)

10:15am, 1:40, 5:15, 8:40

Middle Men

12:01am

Predators

10:40pm

Ramona and Beezus

11:20am, 2:20, 5:00, 7:50, 10:25

Salt

10:05am, 11:05am, 12:30, 1:45, 3:00, 4:25, 5:40, 8:10, 10:40

Step Up 3D

12:01am

The Last Airbender

9:45pm

The Other Guys

12:01am

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

11:35am, 2:25, 5:10, 7:55, 10:35

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

11:00am, 2:00, 4:55, 7:50

Toy Story 3 in Disney Digital 3D

10:45am, 1:15, 4:00, 6:45, 9:35