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 | summer fun |
I’m feeling whiny about the weather this week. It’s finally summery around here, no more June gloom. And I kind of hate it.
It’s hot. It’s sticky. Our house has no ventilation, no breeze, certainly no air conditioning. Our backyard has no shade, which means not only is there no escape from the heat out there, but I can’t even send the kids out to play (both because I’m trying not to sunburn them, and because they won’t go anyway). Yes, it’s milder than the last couple of summers, but this knowledge somehow does not result in me feeling much less cranky.
The idea of taking four children (two of whom are toddlers!) to a body of water with just one responsible adult (me!), frankly, terrifies me, and I think it will not happen any time soon. Especially as I still do not own a bathing suit. Though I did find new flip flops, thank goodness.
Anyhow. Whine, whine. One fun thing about summer is that we usually order new homeschool supplies, and we’ve been working on that for the last several days. I love picking books and supplies, thinking about what we want our days to look like, deciding what we need to make our ideas happen. Good stuff.
I think we’ve got it pretty much figured out, though of course as soon as we settled on an order list, Owen began extolling the virtues of a microscope. The microscope was not on our list. The microscope is not an insignificant purchase. We are taking the microscope request under advisement, no guarantees.
Some other things we will not be getting this time: giant insects encased in acrylic. How cool and terrifying are those? Also: seed-pot maker. I love this idea, but since we have no talent for growing seeds, nor do we take a newspaper, I’m thinking it’s probably not for us. At least not for now. (And no, we’re really not a Montessori homeschool, though those things do happen to come from a Montessori-supply place. I don’t actually know much about the Montessori method. In case you were wondering. Which you were not.)
I think I need to build a tent in the backyard. We could sit in it. I could read. Maybe this would make me less whiny. Or maybe not, but at least it would be different and shady. I will have to give this some thought.
Do you have any zero-depth water spray parks near you? I also have a terror of small children + open water (and I only have one). I find the zero depth spray park much more relaxing–except when the big kids come and are big and strong and fast and knock over the little kids and there is crying and chaos.
Summer is hard. It’s still cool here and I’m hoping it lasts forever. You have my sympathy.
We have a tent you can borrow while you decide on whether you want to build a tent. (out of what I may ask?)
Lynne Marie, I don’t know. That’s a good idea. I’ll have to ask around. I think all the splash parks are inside of expensive places like legoland and sea world, but I’m not the most in-the-know parent, believe it or not.
Patti, I was just thinking of a blanket-thrown-over-a-rope kind of tent, like the one in this book. “Build” may have been the wrong word for that! Last summer the kids had a little Ikea tent out there, but they cooked whenever they tried to play in it. They’d come out all sweaty and icky… so I’m still thinking about it…
Melissa, please give us a call if you want to come hide in our A/C’d home some hot afternoon. I think most tents ARE so hot, but a big shade-making blanket over a pole would work wonders.
Thank you, Leanne! I may just take you up on that…