Summer-don't like it hot...

~"It's my rule never to lose me temper till it would be detrimental to keep it."~ Sean O'Casey

These past few weeks have been chock full of end of the year events.  There have been concerts and conferences, recitals and well.. just too many things to mention. Sometimes I catch myself just wishing that next week were over....that Summer would officially start. I have a bad case of "The grass is always greener"...sometimes I need to just appreciate the" here and now" instead of wishing for the" up and coming".  It never fails,  every Fall I find myself longing for Spring...every Summer wishing for Winter and vice versa. Why can't I just be satisfied? I mean, here I am WISHING for Summer...and then I remember last Summer's heat wave.  I took the picture on the left.  As you can see, my local weather station made a little error...at the time, I was not amused. I was way too miserable.


  It was so very hot outside. The kind of heat that makes things that on most days are only mildly annoying-seem exceptionally annoying.  Everything just sticks to you-your clothes, dog hair... , children-your dogs.. My kids were hot as well..I know this because they told me every thirty seconds or so.."Mama..I'm hot" 
 "Yeah, it's pretty hot outside"..
"but I'm hot.."
 "Yes, I know you are hot.."
 "I'm hot too".."Me too".."Mama we're hot.." 
 "..SIGH.."I know you are all hot..I am hot..why don't you go sit quietly in the playroom and let the fan cool you off."
"but it is blowing in hot air.."
 SIGH.."If you sit really still and don't make a sound you will cool off"
 "It's not working.."
 "Thats because you keep running in to tell me how hot you are!!!"
 "But it's not working!" 
 "Well maybe if you put on a pair of shorts and took off your pants socks and shoes you would feel better?"
  "But I don't want my feet to get cold." 
 "Oscar it is 95 degrees in the house..your feet won't get cold!"
 "But they might!"
AARRGGHH...last Summer (and all the Summer's before it),  My Oscar had problems accepting summer wear.  He would tug on the top of his short sleeved shirt-trying to pull them down to his wrist.  But hey, at least I got him to wear them-even if it was grudgingly..This is nothing like it was with Sammy-who used to mourn his snow pants in April.  So I really couldn't complain.   none of them have a problem with bathing suits..for that I can be happy.

  I am so thankful for our pool.  It has been a life saver of sorts-it both tires and cools them off-especially my sock clad boys..and it keeps them happy... for about three and a half minutes..until....
"Mama!  Lily says my zhu zhu pet is a boy but I say it's a girl!"
  "Lil..Zoe can call her zhu zhu pet a girl if she wants to."
  "But it's name is Mr. Squiggles!"
 "I don't care! she's a girl!"
 "No" Mister" means boy!"
 "But it's a girl!! I don't want a boy!"
 "Zoe! it's a boy!" (Zoe sobbing now) "Mama! Lily won't let my zhu zhu pet be a girl!"...and so it went..for the entire  two hour swim.. through getting dressed...having a snack.. and dinner....Oh I tried to be diplomatic ("girls please try to get along)"..tried to redirect the conversation ("hey-who wants to discuss folding laundry?")...tried to distract them ("I have candy!")..but when the shouting became  more than this innocent..and very hot mother could bear-I lost it...went off the deep end... I yelled... "DOES.  IT.  HAVE.  A.  PENIS????" shocking my children into stunned silence.(which was kind of nice)   Until an indignant Oscar looked at me in horror and said "That is not polite Mama!"
(I was hyperventilating) " No..It is a FINE word to use in a discussion..DO ZHU ZHU PETS HAVE GENITALS??? NO THEY DO NOT!  THEREFORE ZOE'S ZHU ZHU PET CAN BE A GIRL!"  (pant- pant)
 "Actually Mama, they don't have either..they are only toys...uhhh Mama?...Why is your face so red?" 
 "Because I am HOT!!!"
"Well why don't you go sit in the playroom and let the fan cool you off?"


  So, maybe wishing for Summer to come is just a passing phase?  I certainly am not wishing for another heat wave like last seasons.  Although I am thrilled to say that Oscar is very happy wearing his short sleeved shirts-and my girls no longer care about Zhu Zhu pets. No, this year   "Littlest Pet Shop" toys are the object of their affecions...but not to worry-they don't have genitals either.