How Do You Stay Cool?

Author: Andrea from TriangleMommies.com
As the summer is truly upon us I'm always looking for new ways to keep cool. For me, for my child, for my family. Here are some of the ideas I've got in my back pocket for weekdays when the little ones are driving themselves (and us!) crazy in this heat!

• Water ~ While it's lots of fun to play in a grown-up pool I know many of us may not have access to one. And there might not be an actual beach less than an hour's drive from you. But that's no reason to not fill your child's day with water!

Buy a baby pool!
Your child may not technically BE a baby anymore, but trust me on this. She's going to love splashing about in a baby pool of any size in your backyard, just because it cools her off. Get some sand toys, or bath toys and you're good to go. Plus? You can sit back in the shade and stick your feet in it. Ahh. Relief.
Get the hose out.
Get yourself any sort of attachment, whether it's a sprinkler, a sprayer or just a plain old hose and you're set for the afternoon.
Water table
They're not just for toddlers anymore!
Watering can
Pretend those weeds in your yard are a "garden" ... my daughter would spend hours watering so-called flowers if I let her. And she absolutely never stays dry when doing this. It just seems to wind up everywhere, so I've learned to be flexible. And cool.

• Arts & Crafts ~ Sure, we do these all the time, but if you happen to have a shady spot in your backyard (or front, if that works for you) you can dredge out the mini-picnic table, bring out some waterproof paints, toss a huge canvas on there for the little ones and let them go to town. Crazy easy clean up as all you have to do is take out the hose! See previous ideas for how to continue play and stay cool after that. Next option? Stay INSIDE and bust out some new or old craft ideas to ensure you're trapped for hours in the comfort of your air conditioned home.

• READ ~ You didn't think you'd be getting a post from me without a good book thrown into the mix, right? Your kids deserve a chance for some cooling down time, too. And what better way to avoid the heat than by hanging out indoors with some of our (and their!) favorite characters? Some of my favorite summer reads are "beach reads" but they don't make too many like that for my kid. Which is probably a good thing ... but I'm off track a bit there. So for her I stick with fun adventures, stories about animals, and even a bit on travel. Hmmn, almost sounds similar to what I enjoy for me! Whatever your or your child's reading pleasure, there's no better way to spend a part of your day.

• Sweets ~ Yeah, I said it. Sweets. It's summer. It's hotter than heck out there and you need some ice cream. You're not going to get around sharing, so you might as well find some good stuff you can both enjoy. My daughter and I have taken to splitting an ice cream sandwich, doubling the value of the store brand box. Otherwise there are popsicles, fudgsicles, and my favorite when I'm not too lazy, homemade ice pops. That's a whole 'nother post in and of itself, but if you have some great ideas or recipes, share them, please. I tend to end up just pouring some OJ into those tupperware-like molds and hoping for the best. And while they worked really well when she was younger - we're talking 2 here, people - now they're just not AS exciting. But whether you hit the ice cream shoppe after dinner, the ice cream truck comes down your street, or you raid your own stash, there's no better or more enjoyable way to keep cool.

So good luck out there and I hope you all beat the heat!
Andrea is a SAHM who blogs about her everyday life, motherhood and more over at http://goodgirlgoneredneck.blogspot.com