So dinner last night was Mac & Cheese. Real exciting. The kids finished off 2 boxes of the stuff. I had a bowl of cereal. I had a late lunch. Ben had spaghetti left over from Tuesday night. Victoria was shocked that the only thing I was serving for dinner was plain mac & cheese. *shrug* I am not sure why this is surprising. I mean, I guess I could have dug out some hot dogs and chopped that up in it. I offered to throw in a can of ham and she turned up her nose to that. *scratching head* What did you want? A four course gourmet mac & cheese dinner? Not happening.
I picked Kyle and his friend from Cub Scouts last night. Evidently Kyle’s homework this week is to work on the stuff for his cooking merit badge. *sigh* I suppose we can only avoid it so long. He helped make spaghetti Tuesday night, he will help make tamale sauce on Friday night. Isn’t that enough? Evidently not. He has gotten into this crazy little head that he’s going to make cookies. *laughing hysterically* I am not sure where he got the notion that I’d let him actually touch my big beast of a mixer. Not happening child! That’s mine, all mine. Maybe I’ll let him get all the ingredients out and measure them, but the mixer is off limits.
I then wandered over to get Andrew before taking Kyle’s friend, Josh, home. I knocked on the door and they opened the door and said, “you’ve got a first class scout.” *gasp* He can’t be that already, he just turned 12. I swear I bred a total over achiever. The sad thing is, he isn’t really that when it comes to scouts. He just does his thing when he’s told to do it and he does it. That tells me that the others aren’t trying very hard. They said that he has completed something like 14 of the 15 merit badges. They think that he might be on track to be the fastest boy to get his Eagle in the Parkway Ward. Go Andrew! No, wait! Slow down. Maybe this isn’t a good idea after all – this means that we’ll have to help with an Eagle Scout project. How did I get roped into this? Oh yeah, that was when I gave birth to 3 boys. Oh well. It is what it is. We’ll take it with a little spring in our step and enjoy the ride.
Another Thursday
This morning we’re back at the swimming pool. Today is the last day of lessons. The teacher assures me that Lance and Darin are doing just fine in their ability to swim. For Lance especially, his ability is directly proportional to his age (as it should be) and will improve with age and as he gains more muscle control. She did mention that all 6 of the kids have the same bicycle type kick. *laugh* I guess if you’re bred from the same Hellewell genetics you’re doomed to kick like you’re riding a bike instead of kicking in more of a fluttering type form. At any rate, we have all summer to practice. I am just impressed that Lance has moved away from feeling like a noodle is required for swimming. When we were at the pool on Saturday evening, Lance would jump into the pool just fine. He’d even swim out to the noodle. He’d come up for breath only and then swim under the noodle the rest of the way to daddy. *gasp* Mommy and his previously required noodle were chopped liver. He’d just keep swimming without warning. Since he isn’t a strong swimmer this is kind of scary. Got to love his lack of fear of the water.
So if you want to entertain small children…arm them with a small number of hot wheels type cars. I recommend 6 for variety, but the reality is that only 1 is required. Then turn them loose where there is a large open area with smooth, slick, flat flooring. Like where? Like a high school hallway or cafeteria. This has been the best way to keep Darin and Lance entertained the past 2 weeks while we are waiting for Kyle and Brianna to do their swimming lessons. Like right now, I am having a total sanity moment. Klein Collins High School has a large cafeteria and there are only 2 tables set up in the entire area (enough for their workers to sit and each lunch or rest). So now we have this huge open area where they can run and roll their cars and be wild and boisterous and full of energy without disturbing the sanity of others. They certainly aren’t disturbing other swimming lessons. There is no one here for the most part. Oh and they get to run around in a large air conditioned space when it is too hot even at 9am to go outside.
High and Dry
Speaking of the heat, yesterday was a HOT one! They said that our expected high temperature for the day was going to be 99˚F. I’ll be honest with you, I knew it was coming but June is a little early for this nonsense. Since we haven’t had any measurable rain in the last 30 days, the heat is a big deal. Since it has been 5 or 6 weeks since we have had any significant rainfall at all, it makes it an even bigger deal. As Andrew said yesterday on the way home from swimming lessons, “our weather is high and dry.” I laughed then. I am laughing now, don’t get me wrong. The truth is, however, that it is NOT funny. We need some serious rain! Anyway, I knew it would be bad temperature wise when we drove by a sign that read 90˚F at 8 o’clock in the morning. It was reading at 95˚F at 10 o’clock. By noon it was reading 100˚F. *gasp* HOT! HOT! HOT!
The official high temperature for the greater Houston area (Bush Intercontinental Airport) was 104˚F when all was said and done. This temperature shattered a record high for yesterday from all the way back in 1980. For the Tomball area, the official high was 101˚F. When I looked yesterday afternoon (about 3-4 o’clock), AccuWeather.com was saying that Tomball was at 100˚F with a “feels like” temperature of 114˚F and 37% relative humidity. Now, I have to say that I am extremely grateful for the low humidity as it makes it more tolerable but that’s pretty dang hot. I believe that the humidity fell to 30% before the highest temperature was reached. It is just hot. For someone who is used to this crap to say that, it is hot! It is so hot that Lance isn’t even playing in his sandbox. For him, this is a true statement of just how much he’s willing to endure for that dirty pleasure. Not much.
I am grateful for central air conditioning. I am truly grateful that we found the problems with our air conditioning units a few weeks ago and were able to fix them before this miserable heat took them completely out. A car’s air conditioning can only do so much so fast. Do you go the long way home so you can get the car up on the freeway to cool it down faster or do you just go home and pray you don’t die of heat exhaustion on the way?
The forecast high temperature for today is 102˚F. How high will it really go? Nobody really knows.
We have a microscopically slim chance of rain today. They said on the 7 o’clock morning news that there were micro bursts of rain entering the viewing area (greater Houston area). They said that they wouldn’t last long but the majority of the area should get some rainfall by around 1 o’clock this afternoon.
I’ll be honest, we haven’t gotten any yet in the far northwest part of Harris County yet. We do have some cloud cover. It was nice to drive to swimming lessons this morning without having to put down the sun visor and still squint something awful. I really should invest in some prescription sunglasses…
I am not holding my breath waiting for the rain. I’m surely going to turn blue before it happens. I will only believe it when I see it and feel it. Period.
Come on, rain on my parade. I can take it. I won’t complain one little bit. Not one ounce. My grass, trees, and bushes need your refreshing soaking. Let the skies open up and stay open for more than a moment. By the way, a single drop on the windshield (typically what a summer’s 20% change of rain is like) is NOT sufficient for my desires.
You had to be there to understand
So I just got a laugh. There is a port-a-potty outside a short distance off. Evidently they are going to be adding onto the school here this summer (or soon). Darin says, “Look Lance doesn’t that thing out there, that building look like a Tardis?” Lance doesn’t know that he’s talking about so Darin shows him. Lance quickly responds with a very astute, “no, that’s a port-a-potty.” Darin isn’t going to be “one upped” by Lance mind you. “But doesn’t it look like a Tardis.” Lance isn’t going to be fooled. “No, that’s just a port-a-potty.” Evidently, even in imaginative states of minds, port-a-potties are exactly what they are. Nothing more. Nothing less. Sorry Dr. Who, even your greatness cannot win over a knowledgeable 4.5 year old boy’s imagination. A port-a-potty is a port-a-potty no matter where he is.
Let me just mention here that he’s never actually used a port-a-potty to my knowledge. We tried once. He refused to go in one, let alone pee in one. He held it the 45 minute drive home. *laugh* Maybe a bit traumatized by a dirty, nasty, stinky, icky, gross Houston city park port-a-potty.
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