Summer is here you guys, and it is HOT. I do not like HOT. For me, once it starts consistently hitting 72 on the thermometer, I’m done. Fall and Winter can just come right on back. Luckily, the air conditioning is working again in the burbs, so Little Man and I got to enjoy the coolness inside when we were there last week.

I pulled out this water blob thingamajigger I picked up at Menard’s on clearance at the end of last summer, and hooked it up to the hose. Little Man said it looked cool, but he was apprehensive about sitting or laying on it. He wanted to walk or run across it, which I would not allow (former pool manager here, I don’t want to deal with slip and fall injuries from a wet rubber object!). So, he took his army guys and had them “walk” through the water that was streaming out. He did like running his hands through the chilly water, but I will give it some time, and will try it again next week. The more exposure he gets, the more likely he is to like it. I know if I were his size, I would sure be laying on the thing in the sun, letting the cool water flow over my back!

We came back to the lake at the end of the week. It is always fun to be out here. After a big WalMart run, we stopped at Culver’s to get some ice cream (and pretzel bites with beer cheese…Sooooo good!!!). Little Man is getting really good at these longer shopping trips. I think this week we shall take a drive into town and I’ll bring him to my favourite candy shop…I’m dying for some good malted milk balls and chocolate covered pretzels. There is also a HUGE park on the way into town he keeps eyeing – I wonder how much longer I can get away with telling him “Oh, it’s closed today due to (heat, rain, whatever other excuse I pull out of a hat).” I’m terrible, I know. He will see the golden arches of McDonald’s and start asking if we can stop for nuggets and fries. “They don’t make those now, love, it’s breakfast time,” or “McDonald’s is closed today, big guy. Sorry!.” I do the same thing when he wants to watch a show or film over and over. “Nope, Shrek is done for today. We can’t watch it for a few days. Monsters Inc. is taking a vacation. Ralph is sick today, so we can’t watch his films, kiddo.”

We did have a tough weekend, though. I got him to take a nice 3 hour nap Friday afternoon/evening. I love it when he takes his naps. We had some company this weekend, including a 3.5 year old little girl. Well, let me just say that while it was cute to see them playing, they just fed off of each other’s worst habits. There was So. Much. Crying. You guys, Little Man can be a drama king when he wants to, but add in another little one, and it’s just a nightmare. So, Saturday night, I carried a screaming and crying exhausted Little Man to the SUV, drove across the lake to my cousin’s, and cuddled with him on the couch as he fell asleep watching “Frozen.”

Parenting is hard, you guys, and it’s even moreso when there is another child the same age with you. Now, I know everyone parents differently. But, I mean…These little ones thrive on the routines and boundaries set by their parents/guardians. When there is no routine, no nap or quiet time, it truly makes the child unruly. And if you are trying to keep your child on that routine, and they see another NOT following it, it is not pleasant. So, Little Man didn’t get to the pool because A) he had not yet pooped (I will NOT be the parent responsible for a pool closing due to turds floating in it), and B) it was lunchtime and then naptime. The nap clearly didn’t happen, although we did get 2 hours of quiet time in. Now, any other day, he would have been manageable, if just a little fussy. But you add in another toddler to the mix, and it was just horrible. We made it through, though. He didn’t take a nap today, but we did a nice bath, and he was asleep by 8:05.

On the housing front – we are contemplating a FSBO (For Sale By Owner), but I’m just a bit apprehensive and not quite ready to pull the trigger. I’m still looking for homes, but they are still not quite there. I mean, yes, homes are being listed, but they are going under contract within hours of listing! So, please say a prayer to St. Joseph and St. Jude for us, if you could!

The garden is looking great. I shared a video of the garden’s progress on Friday over on Odysee. I am just amazed at how well the plants have taken to the shaded garden. I did get to take a turn at tying my Marglobe Tomatoes to the fence, so they-will hopefully keep growing up and produce some good sized maters.

My mother has several roses at the house in the burbs. The plants were extremely overgrown,and not at all something safe for a toddler to be running or riding his bike by. So, I pulled out the shears and started clearing them off. Now we’ve a nice little path anyone can walk down without worrying about thorns. And, Little Man can race back and forth on his trike or Big Wheel.

Let’s see…The garden at the lake is looking GREAT!!! I posted a video on Friday over to Odysee…be sure to check it out. My Sugar Snap Peas are growing like crazy back in the burbs. I’ve been worried, since we’re not there every day, but they look great. And I cut a bunch of herb leaves last week, and hung them to dry. I’ve now got some small jars of Dried Dill, Coriander, Lemon Balm, Basil, and Parsley. OMG, the Lemon Balm smells AMAZING!!!

Now, don’t forget to follow me on MeWe, where you can get additional content each week, or Odysee, where I’m sharing my podcast and little videos, including “Lettie Loo-ses It!”, “Lettie Sings,” and Garden Updates.  Subscribe to the podcast for my thoughts (and sometimes rants) in 10 minutes or less.