The Dog Days of Summer

I forgot how long summer could be... okay, not really... it’s one of the few things that seems waaaaaay longer now than it did to me as a kid... but that’s only because I’m on full time mommy duty and I like to complain.

My kids however have found all sorts of interesting ways to amuse themselves. The funny thing is, I remember coming up with games when I was a kid. We made up our own all the time – ours were pretty much just pummeling the hell out of each other, though. My kids are far more inventive.

Take for instance, the new game sweeping the nation:

Dodgeball Old Lady Mock 6000

There are rules to this game.

If the ball hits you in the face, it’s a bloody nose and you’re sent to the principal’s office (apparently this means you lose a turn and sit out)

If the ball hits you in the leg, it’s a broken leg – you must hop on one foot until you’ve gotten the thrower out...

If the ball hits you in the arm, an old lady attacks you – you are forced to sit in a chair while the old lady mocks you (thus the inventive title)

Oldest does the announcer voice throughout the game... she’s rather good at it. There are sound effects and everything.

My backyard is a water war zone

We don’t have a pool. We talked about it, a few times, but so far it’s not in the cards. First of all, youngest doesn’t swim very well yet – he’s still in the beginner level at swim lessons. If he can make it up to the next level by the end of the summer, I’ve promised them that we can get a pass to the public pool next year... This, of course, is not good enough. Next summer is forever away!

So, like every mother of beasties, er, umn, I mean beautiful, well behaved children type peoples... I let them play in the sprinkler with squirt guns a few afternoons a week...

But, you know, after the first few afternoons of running around in their swimsuits through a sprinkler, it wasn’t nearly as much fun anymore... Now they’ve taken to new ways of turning a nice normal yard into six flags theme park... The super soakers all get filled up... as do water balloons.... don’t ask me what they’re doing with the tennis rackets because I’m not quite sure what that bit’s all about... oh, and they’ve turned the backyard slide into a water slide by disconnecting the hose from the sprinkler and spraying the heck out of the person at the top of the slide....

The kid down the block saw the ruckus from his own backyard and told his mom about it... I don’t think he’s allowed to come here to play anymore...

So, how about you? What have you been doing to fill up your summer months?