Heat Wave

My exciting new baking business is off to a slow start. The day after I started tweaking recipes, a heatwave hit our area. The temperature hasn't been below 93 since then, so baking is on hold. The air conditioners are working hard enough right now!

The kids have been playing in the sprinkler and spending more time playing Wii and indoor games. It's been nice to see the board games and cards come out again. My youngest girls discovered the joys of playing Mille Bourne, which is a French card game that is distributed in the U.S. I received it as a birthday gift when I turned 10. My friends and I used to stay up all night playing Mille Bourne and Monopoly. After I had played a few games with the girls, they taught some of their friends and Mille Bourne is now the "hot" game in the neighborhood.

Steve hasn't been to the skateboard park as much as usual. He usually heads down there in the late afternoon for a few hours. It's unusual to see him around the house so much during the day. I had forgotten how much I enjoy his sense of humor during the day.

Joe has been on a volleyball and running binge. He runs just about everyday for an hour. I've been pushing liquids and trying to get him to cut down his runs in this extreme heat. We purchased a volleyball for the Fourth of July. Our net poles were broken, so a clothesline was hung across the yard that we use instead. Joe had a blast playing volleyball and is constantly getting neighborhood games going. Yesterday, he wore out the neighborhood children, exhausted Amy and Steve, and then tried to talk me into a game. Poor kid!

Madelyn has been playing a lot of volleyball with the neighbors and Joe, riding her bike, and helping keep the garden watered. The garden is needing water at least 2 times each day. The high temps are going to stick around until next Thursday. I hope the plants and veggies survive.

I'm spending much of my time organizing the school supplies for next year, planning our school year, and yelling at the kids to close the doors.