Hot Summer Days

It has been well over 100 degrees every day for the past couple weeks now, and I think I have just about had it! It's not the heat that bothers me so much (although I do start sweating just thinking about going outside), but having to keep my boys contained in this house all day long every day...well, I'm telling you, I may lose my mind before too long. They want to run and jump and do flips and summersaults , and anyone who knows me could tell you, that is *outdoor play* around here. :) No siree, I'm not that fun mom you've heard about who lets her kids jump on the beds or flip over the arms of the couch. You must have heard wrong. Not that it hasn't ever been attempted, but that's another story.

When you can't really go outside and play in the backyard or take a walk or anything else to break up the day, it just feels like the days are longer. So we've been trying to get creative and come up with *activities* to keep our days exciting (and mostly to keep the boys from bouncing off the walls...and that is no exaggeration!). Here's what we've been doing lately:

• Garage time - the kitten and riding toys make this almost as fun as outside (and at least 10 degrees cooler)
• Lots of reading library books together on the couch - Ethan's favorite book right now is I'm Not Afraid of Dogs, because just like the boy in the book, he really is. He always giggles a little at the end, when the boy figures out that dogs aren't so bad, and then he snuggles up to me as close as possible, as if maybe he's going to be forced to hold a dog too.
• Dress up - yeah, I know I have boys, but they enjoy this just as much as girls, I think. Our cowboy and construction worker costumes have been put to good use this week. And there has been lots of galloping in the basement, I can tell you that. "Mom! Watch me! This is how horses run!"
• Little boy chores - I labeled a spray bottle with Ethan's name and filled it with water and a few squirts of dish soap, and now when I'm cleaning, he gets out his bottle and a rag and helps me clean too. Yesterday he cleaned all the appliances in the kitchen...it was great!
• Table play - we've gotten out the craft closet supplies a lot recently, from puzzles to playdough, and lots of coloring too. Ethan just recently learned how to cut paper with scissors, a skill which has gotten him in some considerable trouble recently...ahem! That's another story too!

So we're surviving, but barely. Yesterday we joined Shawna and the girls for a morning of waterslide fun in their backyard. It was so nice to be outside and let the boys run off some of their energy.

And we've had lots of friends over for play dates too - Tanya with Kate and Zachary, Sonja with Jake, and of course the Bloom girls, not once but twice. Oh, I guess I can't say that anymore, since there is now a Bloom boy. Ha! :)

So I really shouldn't be complaining, since we've had lots of fun and fellowship recently. Still, today was particularly, shall we say, rowdy, and it just makes me soooooo so ready for fall. For trips to the pumpkin patch, and walks to the park. For bike riding, and for going to the zoo. For jumping in the leaves, and lazy days in the backyard. I truly love being at home with my boys, getting to plan our days around exciting adventures with just the 3 of us. These carefree days won't last forever...I need to remember to cherish them.