Hot, hot, hot!!!

Summer is in full swing right now. This week temps will average in the mid 90's. Ugh. I am not someone who handles the heat gracefully. Those people who look cool no matter how hot and steamy it is outside, without sweat streaming down their face, hair & makeup still perfect...you know, the kind of people we all loathe. lol No, I get flushed cheeks, a sheen of sweat across my face, my hair is just bothersome, and I get a bit cranky. I don't want to do anything, I just want to wallow in my misery. It's pathetic really. :) And my feet get extra hot...I hate hot feet. Especially at night.
Ok, so I know that it looks like I am just writing a post to whine, and I'm really not. But I have to set the stage since I'm sharing anyway.
We spent a lovely weekend visiting my mother-in-law in Muskegon. It's on the west side of Michigan, with easy access to the lake. She actually lives just outside Muskegon, on a little farm where she has 6 horses and a few barn cats. I give her credit, keeping 6 horses all on her own. But she is happy in the little life she has for herself, despite how secluded she can be. It's always a treat for the kids to see Grams, and a good chance to live life without tv or blinky toys or video games. They just play outside for hours, generally at the expense of the cats who are very patient with all of the attention. This weekend there was an extra treat. Grams saddled one of her horses, Mr. Mitchell and both of the kids had a chance to ride him (with Grams walking with the lead in hand of course).

On the way I requested a stop in Grand Rapids to visit the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. I had never been there, and thought with the passing of Betty Ford, it would be a good thing to take the kids to. We all enjoyed ourselves very much...it's quite a nice museum. Plus is has a water feature with a towering fountain, a big plus for any kid. :)
We also took a trip to a beautiful beach along Lake Michigan on Sunday. We all had a great time...the water was freezing compared to how warm it was outside, but it was very refreshing. grams doesn't have air conditioning and without much breeze it was a bit stuffy at the house. I was the only victim of the lake...I lathered up the kids with sunblock really well, but only half-heartedly covered myself and completely missed my back. It's now very pink and tender. I'm usually so careful and even when I do get sun I have enough of an olive tone to my skin that I usually tan rather than burn. Not so much this time. So I've been putting on lots of aloe and just resigning myself to waiting for it to get better.
On Monday, our last day, we bid adieu to Grams and headed to Michigan's Adventure for the day before heading home. I'm not usually an amusement park fan...it's not that I don't like them, I am just indifferent and can skip it. We went mainly for the water park, but split the day pretty well down the middle. The kids had an absolute blast. Big D is tall enough to ride on just about everything already since he is so tall for a 6 year old, but Lil A isn't quite tall enough. So we split up pretty often, hubby with Big on roller coasters and water slides, and me with Lil on the kiddie rides and wave pool. We give her the option which parent she wants to be with and 9 times out of 10 its me. She's a momma's girl. :) I don't mind though...like I said I can skip the roller coasters.
We finally left after 6 hours, exhausted, but thankfully I was no more burned than the day before. :) We stopped for dinner outside Lansing and finally made it home after 10pm.
Being back at work today was a little tough. I was very tired and of course my burn hurt so it was a challenge to find soft clothes for work. I couldn't bear the thought of cooking tonight; just the thought of turning on the stove made me sweat. So we picked up a pizza and I made strawberry "shortcakes" for dessert. I didn't want to bake real shortcakes so I just bought a pound cake, which we sliced very thinly and layered with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream. The kids devoured the dessert, even though just a bit before they were "too full" to finish their dinner. lol
For tonight I will try to finish unpacking, at least a bit, and try to relax in the family room. It's days like this that my "vintage" house has drawbacks...having radiators means no duct work, which means central air isn't possible. The family room has an old AC unit, so at least it cools the room a bit. Otherwise we have fans running everywhere. I hope I sleep better tonight, though with hot feet & a sore back I'm not anticipating a very restful night. I really can't wait for a break in this heat. Hope you are staying cool!