Unless you've been living in Alaska, you know it's hot. Crazy, dangerously hot.*
If we had air conditioning I would audition the notion of spending a day in our pajamas, making popcorn and messes and possibly even watching television. Unfortunately, that's just not an option. There's an inverse relationship between the temperature and my patience, especially when all four of us end up in the bathroom at the same time.**
So, what to do?
Bowling! Kids bowl free, although you have to pay for shoe rentals.
A new library, with a computer and preschool games. I let the electronic glow babysit the kids for a few minutes while I snagged as many books on CD as I could find.The kids use a computer so rarely that it's such a special treat and always prompts the kindest, most generous behavior from them.
Ice cream! We've picked up a box of ice cream bars at the Co-op. While we looked out the window at the people passing by, Peter and Lucy had some of the best conversations. I love listening to the two of them talk back and forth.
A fun library event, where the children are absolutely, positively convinced they met the Queen. (Of what? Inconsequential.) Peter was knighted with a zucchini, which is as good a use for them as I have. Really, after your seventh batch of zucchini bread, what do you do?
And it's always cooler to let someone else do the cooking, so we took Kevin up on the offer to crash the faculty barbecue. The kids took advantage of the wide-open paths and the red stroller to run off some energy in the 100-degree sun.
We also crashed his office. He didn't offer this one, but Peter and Lucy took advantage of his giant chalkboard walls and plentiful supply of post-it notes.
I'll also add that it helps to keep cool if you're sitting a foot from a fan, although the guilt from stealing the fan from your sleeping children makes it mighty difficult to take comfort in the breeze.***
*When I checked the weather update around 4:30 today, it "felt like" 110.
**This happens, oh, seven times a day. Nothing good ever comes from it, especially since it's the hottest, tiniest, and dirtiest room of the house.
***But not that difficult.
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