Summers in the Mojave Desert don’t play by the rules. It’s only mid-June and the highs this week are predicted to sizzle around 111 and 113. I look at my phone for the current temperature to make sure our A/C isn’t set at more than a thirty-degree difference. We were told the units freeze up if ran too hard and I really don’t want to head to the inn just down the hill if we push it past its limit. My husband usually shakes his head when he sees what the thermostat is set to when he gets home, but for once in our marriage, I crack the hammer and man the thermostat.
I try to think about fall and the cooler temperatures it will probably bring to the basin, but I’ve quite honestly been feeling quite terribly in this summer heat. I wish I could get by on dreaming about that creamy pumpkin goodness that usually arrives sometime in August, but with kids who’d be outside all day if I let them, I’ve had to think of some basic ways we can bask in the season without spending it all outside. For me this doesn’t just mean reasonable activities at temperature-appropriate times, but ways of taking care of myself so I not just make it through this summer heat with the kids, but enjoy my way through it.
Here are eight ways I’ll be surviving the heat this summer:
I’ll use my no’s wisely.
I don’t know if it’s a fair-skinned, red headed thing, but I’m not aiming for 1,000 hours outside this summer. I’m okay with saying no to watching them scooter, bike or pace the cul-de-sac if it means I’ll have the energy to go outside when the shade hits just right or when it’s in the 90s.
We’ll read.
I often ask my boys to pull out a book when sister is napping so I can get a little reprieve during the day. Sometimes I read and sometimes I just sit in the recliner and stare at my snake plant. Either way, I’m cool beneath the fan.
I’ll mask up.
Our daughter regressed slightly since moving in and with that my laundry load has gone up. She does other things that make my eyes twitch (it’s just a three-year-old thing,) but it was enough for me to purchase a Phantom of the Opera-looking face and eye mask. I can put it on cool or warm, but since it’s so hot I put it on cool and it not only relieves stress, it cools me down too.
Goodbye daily coffee, hello other things.
My coffee and caffeine consumption was recently put into heavy check because of how quickly they’d dehydrate me. I have the occasional iced coffee here and there, but caffeine free tea and other drink mixes are my go to if I want something other than water.
Water play.
Summer heat and water undoubtedly go together. Today the kids got some use out of their new 68″ splash pad sprinkler mat and I’m eagerly awaiting the water table that’s set to be delivered this week. My two youngest have even taken dips out back in our large plastic storage tub. I don’t feel comfortable taking my three kids to the pool without dad, so we make do the best we can with what we have.
We’ll tend to our house and outdoor plants.
I’ve become an amateur gardener since moving back to the desert. To this my husband usually says, “you chose to begin keeping plants in the desert. I don’t get it.” I needed something else to do, a hobby I suppose. Watering and misting the plants is something the kids can help me with in the middle of the day when the sun is at its strongest. The best part is listening to my middle one as he tells me all about the garden he’s cultivated in the corner of our yard. The second best part was watching him show the neighbor kids the diagram he drew of his garden on a piece of paper.
I’ll say yes to subscription boxes.
I recently picked up a Kiwi Co. box from a curb alert and my oldest asked to work on it with dad instead of going outside to play. Things like this rarely happen. I went ahead and ordered a handful more boxes from the ‘shop’ section so I can have a little library of sorts whenever I think we need to do a little something more than television watching in the middle of the day.
Some things I’d like to do.
- a trampoline slumber party
- weekly or bi-weekly baking
- more backyard s’more roasting
It’s no doubt as hot as an in-use Dutch oven, but there’s still so much to love about this sometimes not-so-loved duty station. I mean, really, what’s a better summer memory than the one of wading in a plastic storage tub? Stay cool, friends!
