Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Literally.

It's hot.

Damn hot.

Really damn hot.

Peanut and I spend time outside every day, all year round. It is rare that we don't go for a walk or hit the playground. Living across the street from the neighborhood playground has been a godsend throughout peanut's life - from my desperate new born days when I just needed an adult to talk to (ie, I totally stalked my dining room window waiting for someone to show up with their kids after school) to now when I use it as a relief in that 4:30 to 5:30 no-man's land of cranky toddler and cranky mommy who's run out of ideas/energy/patience. Nothing that a few giggles on a swing or twirls around the field ("Dizzy peanut, dizzy peanut!") can't make better. In the fall, it's lovely. Springtime, heavenly. Winter, cold, but as long as it's above freezing and we're bundled in our hats and gloves, it's doable.

But today, officially, it's hot. Some mommy friends and I do a toddler art group - and by art group we mean five minutes of a project and an hour of playing on the playground - and we met this morning in the park across the street from my house. At 10am, I was sweating from standing. At 10 AM!

Ah, and that fickle oasis of the pool is no help. We hit it up Monday morning, but by the time I'd wrested my slippery guy out of the pool, into the family locker room, out of his swim diaper, into his clothes, gotten myself into my clothes, repacked the bag, washed two sets of hands and corralled peanut back up the stairs, through a crowded lobby, across a blacktop parking lot and into a steaming car, I was sweating again thereby negating any refreshing effects of a dip in the pool.

I should expect it. I've lived in the South 27 of my 32 years, but 90s in June? Come on! I suppose I can't complain - I know some of you are just making your forays into the outdoors after Ethan Frome-style New England and Midwestern winters - but I'm being driven inside to the air conditioning on a beautiful, sunny day. Who knew that those annoying indoor playgrounds and bounce houses were going to start looking so attractive again?

The only relief? Playing in the pool or out in the heat in the morning sufficiently tuckers the little peanut out so he takes a nice long afternoon nap. Too bad mommy's just as sapped from our activities - guess that explains how I read 3 books in a week in a half!

On the bright side: I'm officially one hot mama.

Too bad it's in the needs another shower and a stronger deodorant way as opposed to the having Brad Pitt's babies way.