We're having a heat wave ... a tropical heat wave ... when the temperature's risin', it isn't surprisin', we certainly can, can, can ...
That's a line from White Christmas, oddly enough, and it's stuck in my head today. No, not because I'm thinking about Christmas - but because it's HOT. Really, awfully, want-to-become-a-fish hot.
Today is also Field Day at my daughter's school. AND I volunteered My Little Man and I to help.
We bravely headed out to this morning, prepared to start right at 10, when the sun's rays would be most damaging- er, I mean when it was supposed to start - and was surprised to find that Field Day began in the art room with face painting. We could do that.
After painting a few trucks and rainbows, we headed out ... no, off to the library for the kindergarten version of Minute to Win It. Then we had an aerobics class in the gym (I was really starting to wonder about the naming of this event) when we headed outside for free play time with jump ropes, hula hoops, and mini golf.
After a lunch break in the air-conditioned cafeteria, we ventured out to the there's-no-shade-here playground. The kids had a great time running around, though, and My Little Man finally joined in.
Next came the sack races, the only event in which I was actually a competitor as a kid. I loved the sack races! My Big Girl did a really good job on this one today.
Next came the tug-o-war. This group of mostly-girls actually pulled the other team of mostly-boys to their knees - in spite of the water break happening in the middle of the rope.
After a short popsicle break, Mrs. Burton decided to toss the schedule and head for the water events, which for some reason were empty. Yay, Mrs. Burton!
Since the kids didn't quite get the hang of the sponge races, turning the hose on them seemed more fitting - and much more fun. Bring on the water!
As the kids headed off to play with basketballs and sidewalk chalk, My Little Man and I called it quits. With more than an hour to go, I'm not sure if we could've survived that cement slab, and as usual, Mrs. Burton had things well in hand. But when we got in the car ...
this is what we saw.
After heading home, we read a story and Luke unwillingly took himself to bed for a nap.
Apparently he didn't make it all the way to the bed, because this is where I found him a bit later - standing on the stool, asleep before he made it all the way in.
I don't like heat waves. I'm not a born-and-bred Southern girl, and these crazy temps still seem foreign to me. But I"m finding lots today to be thankful for.
I'm grateful for the teacher who knew her students well and listened to their needs, both physical and emotional. She worked hard to make the plans that someone else made work for her kids, in spite of the heat. I'm thankful for the parents who donated all those popsicles and for the teacher who left the water hose turned on. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a part of my child's field day, and grateful that we weren't really needed and could leave when the heat became too much. I'm grateful for a husband who would take himself outside after a long day at work to find and clean the kiddie pool we'll play in tomorrow. Mostly, though, I'm grateful for the abundance of water that we have. So many people the world over don't have clean water to drink, and especially not to play in just for fun, but we are blessed with water in abundance.
So if you stop by our house tomorrow - where it's to be 96 degrees with a heat index of over 100 again - you'll find us in the shady backyard, playing with the neighbors, the kids in the pool, and me with my feet in a bucket of water.
Havin' a heat wave? That's okay. We've got water. :-)
Join us for more GratiTuesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
No comments:
Post a Comment