The surface of our lives is not as smooth as it used to be. Secluded in our homes, we look each day for new opportunities to connect with the outside world. Although the marvels of computers and cell phones succeed in making this connection possible, in our dependence on technology for work, entertainment, and children’s studies, it is possible that we have overlooked a source of solace and stimulation right outside our windows.

Nature has always had the power to fascinate and refresh. Fortunately, it is not necessary to travel to exotic locales, or even local parks, to enjoy it. Common backyard birds flitting among the trees and bushes are a world unto themselves, and both adults and children are captivated by observing them and learning about their lives.

Last year, on the first night of Chol Hamoed Sukkos, an intense storm cast five bolts of lightning into the field behind my house. One of them traveled underground, under my neighbor’s house, and slammed through the solid metal cover of my fuse box, starting a fire in my basement. It sounded like a bomb had hit the house. People down the block told me later that they had felt their houses shake from the impact. I was home with my younger four children, while my husband was at shul with my older boys.

We all froze.

Recovering, I told my kids that it sounded like a transformer blew really close by. I didn’t realize at the time that a force of immense power and hotter than the surface of the sun had just penetrated my home.

September brings a breath of fresh air, literally, if you take into account Baltimore’s signature summer heat and humidity. The temperature has finally dropped to under “melting,” and we can breathe easy again. Unfortunately, the return to the soothing hum of routine may be an illusion that is only sustainable because our lives don’t come with background music. If they did, something ominous would certainly be playing. Something enormous is coming and will be upon us before we have a chance to turn around, something so immense it disrupts school, siphons sleep, and even has its own season: Yom Tov.

Ice pops, fireflies, watermelon juice running down your chin. Summer is a magical time. Fortunately, no “abracadabra” is needed to pull magical memories out of thin – or heavy, humid – air, as the case may be, but some planning is in order to make the most of your time. Although the season is ripe with opportunities to spend quality time as a family, there is an undeniable correlation between the rising temperatures and parents’ rising uncertainty as to what exactly to do with their children.

Everyone has her own way of categorizing their summer activities. Some distinguish between free ones and those that cost money, while others differentiate between those that are indoors versus out. I don’t know about other mothers, but I divide my summer activities into those with accessible bathrooms and those without. I avoid the latter at all costs. That said, here are some places to go and things to do this summer that are fun for the whole family.

Every Pesach shiur I hear begins the same way: Don’t be afraid. Don’t overdue it. Just enjoy your Pesach preparations. Give your kids a positive experience. There is nothing to be scared of.

I am waiting for one shiur to just validate the feelings of those of us who are afraid. For many thousands of women, simply hearing the words “Pesach is coming” sends chills down our spines We feel our palms start to sweat and begin breathing rapidly. We are clearly scared.

But when Paul Revere warned the colonists, in his famous midnight ride, that “the Redcoats are coming,” they weren’t paralyzed in fear. On the contrary, they used the opportunity to show the world what they were made of. So...what are we made of? What are we missing that those determined colonists had? Or, to cut right through the grease, what are we really so afraid of?