Midsummer's Eve...

The days are hot now.

In a lot of ways, it feels like August, but it's only June.

It's the kind of heat that makes you lay on the living room floor with the fan on, eating a popsicle, and listening to Christmas carols on i-tunes.

Not that I do that.

But sometimes, instead of fighting the heat, all the time, I remind myself to just be embraced by it. To turn my face to the sun, let the waves rise off the pavement and curve around my legs and shoulders and face, and enjoy it. And while I can't do it for very long, it's pretty amazing for a few moments to be on the receiving end of so much light and warmth. Magic.

Magic how, in the summer, even when the sun goes down--other lights just come out to play.

Happy Midsummer, to you and yours.

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?... Catch Fireflies!

My kids are the luckiest kids in the world. And not just because of who their dad is.

I was 19 years old when I saw my first firefly. I was working as a youth camp counselor and we were doing an away session at Western Kentucky University. I was outside one evening and I saw a light flicker in the grass.

Honestly, you would think that I had found a diamond in the grass with my name on it.

I was so enchanted by these little bugs that carry their own light, and have never gotten over the new-ness of them when they return to my North Carolina home every June. Because fireflies share a very special category: Bugs that aren't Gross. Butterflies, ladybugs, and rolly-polly bugs share this category.

Tonight, my husband was outside mowing the lawn and my kids were on the swingset when the fireflies showed up with all their glowing wonderfulness. That was an hour ago. They are outside chasing them with a Mason jar still.

So, if you're a lucky soul who lives a state that is blessed with these pixie dust carrying creatures, have a mason jar handy and wait for evening to fall, and then capture some fireflies. Watch them. Be amazed. Then let them go.

Meanwhile, in case your kids are curious, here a few fun facts about fireflies:

• They are called fireflies or lightning bugs. Their larvae babies are called gloworms.
• The light they emit can either be yellow, green, or pale red. (I was in the woods here one time and saw fireflies of all different colors at the same time. Beautiful!)
• Fireflies flash in complex patterns to help locate their mates. In some species, males fly, but females don't.
• If you turn on your flashlight, fireflies turn off theirs. (And we've observed that they don't light up nearly as much once they're caught.)

I'd write more, but I need to go catch bugs with my kids...

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?... Experiment!

Today, my kids and I turned our kitchen into a lab.

We got out the air popcorn popper and poured in 1/2 c. of popcorn, as usual. Only--this time--I didn't put the top on. I asked my kids, as they watched the popcorn spinning in circles, what they thought would happen. We talked about what normally happens: the popcorn comes down the chute and into the bowl. But with the open top, which way would it go? How would we catch it in our bowl? When the popcorn started popping, my kids went wild as they watched it spilling over the sides, and, as it got emptier, flying up into the air. Then we talked about if our guesses were right. We scooped the popcorn off the clean cupboard and into a bowl, and just swept up and threw away any that got on the floor.

Next up? Vinegar and baking soda....

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?... Clean!

One of the things that I love to do on HOT summer days, when I don't feel like being outside, is to let my kids help me wash things. I put them in their swimsuits, give them spray bottles and rags, and let them help wash the dishes, the windows, the shower, the floor, the table--almost anything. Even my 6 month old gets in on the fun--I put her in her highchair in the middle of the kitchen and fill her tray with water. She splashes like crazy, gets the floor all wet, I mop it up and both she, the floor, and her highchair get clean!!

If you're like me and live in fear of your kids getting their paws on toxic cleaners (have you ever noticed how similar Pine Sol looks to apple juice in color? or a bottle of Thoro to Sprite?) then you'll want to have some completely kid friendly cleaning supplies for your kids to use. Below are some recipes for cleaners you can make at home that your kids could drink and there would be no harm done, plus--they work so well that you can toss the toxic stuff, and these cost a lot less:

General Spray Cleaner
1 c. vinegar
1 c. water
Put in a clean spray bottle, shake, and use. This is great for counter tops, stove tops, windows, mirrors, and for polishing metal surfaces like doorknobs and faucets.

A NOTE ABOUT VINEGAR: I've heard people say that they don't want to clean with vinegar because they don't like the smell. But vinegar is one of your most powerful non-toxic, earth friendly cleaners. It is a natural disinfectant, as well as an odor neutralizer. The smell of the actual vinegar only lasts a couple minutes, and when it disappears--so do other odors. If you really can't stand the smell, feel free to add a few drops of essential oils to your cleaners. Try lemon, lavender, grapefruit, or peppermint.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
flush your toilet and then pour undiluted white vinegar around the rim and into the bowl. Let sit for a couple minutes, then clean with a brush and flush. You can use the general spray cleaner to clean the exterior surfaces.

Baking Soda Soft Scrub
Pour 1/4 to 1/2 c. baking soda into a small bowl, then add a little water at a time, mixing until you get a frosting-like consistency. Put a dob on a wet sponge and go to town on your sinks, tubs, and showers. If you rinse it down with hot water and leave for a couple hours, it will deodorize your drains, too.

Furniture Polish
1 c. olive oil
1/2 c. lemon juice

Shake well in a spray bottle and then apply a small amount to a flannel or cleaning rag. Spread over furniture and then wipe with a clean, dry rag. (I also use this to shine my stainless steel sink.)

So put your kids to work--they'll love being needed, your house will be a cleaner, greener place to be, and you can spend your evenings doing something besides cleaning up after them. (Like blogging. *grin*)

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?... Bubbles!

This is the first of my summer posts about creative, fun things to do with your kids during summer break! I'll share them as I find them, and let you know how they turn out.

Today? Bubbles!

One of our all-time favorite store bought toys has to be Bubble Oodles from Gymboree, we love these billions of tiny bubbles, and they don't pop right away so they're a lot of fun to play with. (Just make sure to wipe them off your furniture when they land there.)

But, in case you're like me and currently OUT of Bubble Oodles, and lacking the desire or money to drive to Gymboree to get some more, here are some "Make them yourself" bubble recipes:

*Basic Bubbles

1 cup water

2 Tablespoons dish soap

*Magic Bubbles

9 oz. water (just over a cup)

2 Tablespoons dish soap

1 Tablespoon glycerin

Please note that bubbles do best when made a day ahead of time.

Experiment with new kinds of bubble wands! Try cookie cutters, small colanders or sieves, cut holes in yogurt lids, etc.

Welcome to summer!