staying cool

I know for many, this summer of drought has been a hot one.  I'm not saying I've got it worse than anyone else.  But I've known some hot summers before--July of 2002 when I was big and pregnant with Oliver and July of 2008 when I was big and pregnant with Louisa.  This summer surpasses those two in terms of my discomfort by far.  This summer I have not one, but two little ovens sitting right on my lap, and in my arms for a good part of the day.  It's almost enough to deter me from nursing them and opt for the much cooler bottle method. 

I can't ever remember being so hot and uncomfortable for so many hours straight.  Inside and out is equally hot and most of my usual tricks to beat the heat are not options with two little babies.  In the past  I'd pack up the kids and head to the dollar movies in a cold air conditioned theater, or the sponge play place at the mall, or the treehouse museum.  But none of that is really tempting enough to do five kids on my own.  So, here we are, finding ways to cool down at home.

Not so creative, but always successful is the old kiddi pool.  We had a good afternoon with that this week.