Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Summer and I have a deeply complex relationship

I was in school from age 2 to age 23. I enjoyed many many summers. They were a break from school and an opportunity to worship the sun at the beach and at the pool. I was also a swimmer so summer was... well everything. Now I'm a mom. Summer vacation isn't much of a vacation. Yes, it's great to be outside with the kids and enjoy summer vicariously but it's so not the same. Even on the beach or at the pool I'm parenting, not basking. Maybe it's because I'm not a kid or maybe it's because the summer still feels like work but I find I'm less tolerant of the heat. It's hard to keep the kids and myself hydrated and cool. We have a pool in the backyard but it holds about 15 gallons of water so, it's certainly not going to keep me cool.

We've started playing outside early in the morning. Like from 7-9am, which is no biggie because Henry is waking up at 4:30/5:00 most mornings (darn you, summertime!) so by 7am I've already knitted my clothes for the day by hand, baked our daily bread, milked the cow for our morning cereal, and had my coffee, so I'm good to go.

I can't wait for the days to get shorter so he sleeps later. I'm so sleep deprived I lost my train of thought. Where was I? Oh yes, so summer isn't what it used to be. But I'm coming up with creative ways to beat (or sometimes embrace) the heat.

For example, we have plans to go to Sesame Place this weekend. If you've never been and you live anywhere near Philly you really should take the kids! There's a whole splash park area, and I want to be able to bring Henry along but not worry about having both arms to carry him the whole time, in case Jack slips or because I need two hands for each of my beers... whatever. So I made this:

Its made of swimsuit material so it will maintain its integrity when wet and it will dry fast. And it cost me $9. Have you seen the one in One Step Ahead?! It's $50. Suckers!


But no matter how much I complain about the heat, and the sweat and the bugs the sun kissed faces and the fresh fruit and the blooming flowers and the sunsets more than make up the difference.

Just be sure and watch your back; they will throw sand at you.

No comments: