Staying Cool

It is super hot right now here in Arizona.  Yesterday's temperatures don't even sound real:  106 degrees as a high and 87 degrees as the low.  Yes, the overnight low was 87 degrees, Yikes.   Arizona has very low humidity so most people find it more bearable than tropical heat.  But 106 is the kind of hot that can't be denied.  You may not be as hot, but some of the things we do may help you have a more comfortable summer.

 Tips to stay cool:

-Drink water every few hours.  Here in the desert we run the risk of dehydrating very quickly; drinking water every few hours ensures that even a light dehydration does not occur.

-Avoid using the oven.  We toast or use our crock pot most of the time.  We have a kitchen that is open to our living room and when the oven is used it heats both rooms and causes the air conditioner to work even harder.

-Eat and drink cool things.  Esteban regularly makes frozen fruit smoothies.  We also eat a lot of salads or cool sandwiches.  To order great cool sandwiches try Jimmy Johns, they have delicious food.  You can find a decent variety of No-Oven summer recipes at family.go.com.  Family.com is a Disney family blog that has fun content and a whole section of recipes.

-Schedule outings.  We schedule our fun in the cooler early morning hours or late in the evening when the sun goes down.  It is still really hot in the evenings but without the sun it does not feel like you are burning alive;).

-Wear breathable clothes.  Cotton is what we choose most often, but there are great poly cotton blends available now.  100% polyester is to be avoided.  Run away from black polyester.

-Go to the shade.  If caught in the sun try to get in the shade as soon as possible.  Esteban and Sebastian use this when they walk Luci during the hottest part of the day.  The sun here seems to burn the skin quickly, even when wearing sun screen you can feel your skin burning.

-Don't waste cold.  When anyone goes in or out we close our front door right away so we don't let the cold out.  We also check the windows regularly to make sure we are not leaking cold air.  When your house gets hot here it can take forever to get the temperate cool again.

-Have plenty of inside entertainment.  Books, games, crafts and B.O.B. keep us busy and happy, as well as movies and music.


I know these are all common sense, but they can serve as good reminders to be mindful of the heat.

It is hot here but we are having a very fun summer so far.

I hope your summer is off to a great start.  Stay cool.

Courtesy of Graphics Fairy