Is it just me, or do summers get hotter and hotter each year? I love summer as much as the next mom, but summers mean school’s out, and no school means kids at home are bored. Five kids for me means 5 times the fussiness when the kids are bored and sweltering in the summer sun.
Keep your little ones busy, while keeping cool for the summer, with these 5 ways to beat the heat – Mom edition!
- Keep the AC Fan Blowing
If your kid is anything like mine, they get fussy around nap time. The summer heat doesn’t make nap time any more fun for your little tykes, so put that air conditioner to good use! Whether you’ve got a split-type air conditioner, or a portable one, some good air circulation is great for cooling down temperatures around the house. You’ll be able to concentrate on your work too.
Consider letting your kids nap in your air-conditioned office, living room, or den while you work to best optimize your air conditioner to the fullest. Your kids will enjoy a blissful sleep, while you get to work in a cool environment. It’s a win-win situation! Make the room more comfortable by ensuring your AC unit is working properly, and in a cool setting.
Here’s a good tip to prepare for those hot summer days and nights: have your AC unit checked out before summer rolls around! A reputable aircon repair company will get your machine working at full capacity so you and your kids can enjoy that cool breeze all summer long!
- Redecorate with Light Colors
Leave the dark, heavy fabrics for the wintertime. Summer’s all about natural aesthetics and light furnishings! Bring out those light linens, sofa covers, and curtains for your kids’ rooms, and it’s time to redecorate for the summer. Your older kids would enjoy customizing their rooms, while your younger kids would love the light, natural look of their rooms.
Light fabrics also help cool down the room since they don’t absorb as much heat as darker colors do, and light fabrics and materials make the entire room feel brighter overall. Natural elements, like wood and plants, bring some vibrancy to rooms too.
- Make Fun Summer Drinks for Kids (and for Mom!)
Kids completely bored? Summer’s the perfect time to harvest fruits from your local orchard or your backyard, if you have fruit trees. Make fun summer drinks with your kids, using their favorite fruits and ingredients.
Making your own drinks is not only fun, it’s healthier too. If you use agave syrup or honey, you can control how much sugar your little ones intake. One of my favorite summer drinks is an iced tea made with fresh fruit like peaches and apples!
Simply brew your favorite tea, add in your choice of fruit, and honey if you like it sweet. (For mom’s version, adding a little champagne or white wine never hurts!)
- Do Water Sports
Head over to your backyard for some water sports fun. Water-based activities are fun, mess-free ways to cool off during hot summer days. Grab some reusable water bombs, water guns, or an inflatable pool and get your kids moving with some fun games that’s enjoyable for all ages.
Have a water balloon fight, or prepare in advance to have a summertime snowball fight using shaved ice stored in a cooler. Cleanup is a breeze too, since the water will just end up in your garden. Your kids will have fun and you get some family bonding time.
- Make Your Own Ice Cream (No Machine)
Ice cream keeps melting on the way home from the store? No problem! Turn your ice cream into a fun activity for kids using just a few household ingredients that you probably already have. Homemade ice cream is delicious, and healthier too since you can control the amount of sugar in the ice cream.
Whip 2 cups of heavy whipping cream until it reaches the soft peak stage. Add in one 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, and mix until combined. Let your kids take part in the process and add in your favorite mix-ins – I recommend crushed Oreos or some blueberry pie filling!
Grab some crushed ice and place it into a large zipper storage bag along with a couple of pinches of rock salt. Place your ice cream mixture into a separate smaller freezer bag, and seal completely. Place the smaller bag into the large one filled with ice, and start shaking! Pass the ice cream around, continuously shaking the bag for a fun family activity! Your ice cream should be ready to eat after 10 minutes of shaking.
