STILL hot and humid....

But I ain't complaining, no sir, not me. Ha. I am trying not to....but jeepers. I almost feel like I can't breathe. The weather forecast calls for temps in the nineties, with high humidity, along with an "Air Quality Warning", which means those with pre-existing respiratory conditions should limit strenuous activities outdoors. Which in our case means indoors, too, since our thermometer on the livingroom wall only goes to ninety, and the needle has been stuck there.

So I won't be doing much in the way of cleaning around here. I have an appointment today that I am simply re-scheduling, as putting children into the van with no air conditioning on a day like today is almost criminal.

We took an evening trip to Walmart last night, when it cooled down a bit. We took the minivan, too, and cranked the a.c. yum. We stopped at the dollar store first, and I ask you: who can spend $44 in a DOLLAR STORE? Well, someone who buys 44 things, I guess. ha. There's tax, so maybe 41 things. Anyway, I bought ten 13 ounce bags of Brach's chocolate covered toffee, sunglasses for the kids, flip flops, really good Nature Valley granola bars.....it was fun because Mali, Kathryn, Suzanne, and Sonja were with me.

Then Wally World.....we needed pool shock, milk, and bagels. We GOT $3 shirts and 30cent crayons and a 64 ounce bottle of diet Snapple with Lemon. Which I am not ashamed to say we passed around in the van on the way home. I did briefly remember the cameras they have in the parking lot, but oh well. I would like to say that my nice mature girls walked like little angels, all in a row, but alas that would be a lie. They know how to have FUN where ever we are....then they found the SILLY BANDS! Only $1, Mom! All well and fine, until we got home and I realized that we didn't bring any for Evelyn....the girls decided to share though, with Jonathan too, and everyone traded Silly Bands until eleven pm, when most good children are long tucked in bed.

I finished my latest book, reading, not writing. It was "Under The Dome", by Stephen King. Despite his tendency to use some base terms and phrases, it was an excellent book, riveting from page one. Over one thousand pages, and none of those skip-over-because-it's-boring paragraphs, either. The man has talent. When I was first converted, way back when, I stopped reading novels. The first ones I picked up after a while were John Steinbeck, I read all of those. And then Charles Dickens. I read "A Tale of Two Cities twice, and also "Great Expectations" twice. Then I discovered Taylor Caldwell..... I didn't read S. K. again for quite a while, because he writes scary stuff. Good always triumphs over evil in his stories, and he has such a way to put things, I just enjoy his books.

Anyways....the kids have an old cell phone with no service, they continue to charge it so they can pretend with it because the ringer still works. It is Suzanne's, but Jonathan loves it. He bugs and bugs, so she lets him borrow it, then he wants it back. Life cannot be ALL sunshine and roses....

Sometimes people ask me this question, "How do you do it?" Well, since I am a good girl and don't make bad jokes, I veer away from the obvious answer, and answer....well...what IS the answer? Do WHAT? I assume they mean manage everthing. Which I simply don't do...but here are some things that have made my life easier:

1. In the summer time I usually go barefoot, but I still leave a pair of Birkenstocks at the front door, and one at the deck door, so if i go bye-bye, I never have to backtrack to the other door for shoes.

2. I keep wipes next to my chair in the living room.

3. I keep undies for the three youngest ones in the basket in the living room where we used to keep diapers. They can get them out themselves this way.

4. I use lots of zipper sandwich bags and storage bags. I buy the store brand when they are buy-one-get-one free...and use them for leftovers. So much easier than using Tupperware type containers. They fit in the fridge better, too.

And that's all I can think of right now. I get sidetracked in my thoughts easily, especially now, the kids are watching "Elmo's World" on Sesame Street.....anyway, I am glad Paul had the day off yesterday and was here when it was so hot out. Usually he comes home from his air conditioned office in his air conditioned van when it is starting to cool down a bit, and says, "It isn't too bad in here..." hmm. After being here yesterday, perhaps today he will realize how hot it really is all day in here. We DO have two window air conditioners but we haven't had them in the windows since a few years ago. Most days are tolerable, it is just when this humidity hits with the high temperatures...blah. But I am NOT complaining.

I think I should have some cereal and go out in the pool with the kids. The heck with sweeping this morning....