Five Favorites: We're having a Heat Wave!

Joining the wonderful Hallie again this week!

It is hotter than...something very hot this past week and my kids and I have been losing our ever-loving minds trying to find activities that are cheap (read: freeeee!) and allow our resident asthmatics to keep breathing (well, hello, Ozone Action Days! I forgot all about you!). 

Here are our 5 favorite things to do during a heat wave.....

1) Free movie morning! We are lucky enough to have a local theater that shows 2nd-run kids movies for free one morning each week. There are a couple of other theater chains in our area doing the exact same thing, except they're charging $1 per person for the exact se movie! Guess where we go?

2) Draw on Mommy's bed sheets! Ok, maybe not on my current bed sheets, but in the early part of the morning, I have been known to hang a very old white,

flat sheet in the backyard and let the littles attack it with washable markers and paints. Then, they get to hose it all

off and start again. (Little known factoid: you can take regular tempera paints and add a couple of drops of dish soap to turn the paints into washable paints).

3) Clean! You think I'm kidding? The cure for childhood boredom is an increase in chores. Coincidentally, it's also the remedy for shiny windows!

4) Retail Therapy! I recently picked up this little Vera Bradley smartphone wristlet at 60% off the original price: 

The stores always try to lure in customers during the summer months. Do the younger kids enjoy this activity? Nope! But, it can't ALWAYS be about them, can it?

5) Ice cube baths! C'mon, kids! Put on your swim suits! Mama's done filled the bathtub up with water and ice cubes! As simple and stupid as this sounds, it always appeals to my younger kids. I don't throw in enough cubes to give them hypothermia and we don't have central a/c, so all the ice melts pretty quickly, but it fun while it lasts! (Bonus: I can shine up the bathroom while they're occupied!)

Stay cool, my friends!