On Days Like This

It's these last few days of summer that really make me wonder about whether or not we're going to survive all this; if we'll actually make it to when G starts school and if somehow we'll manage to not all strangle one another. It's days like this where G and A are chasing one another through my mother's house - or at least through the rooms they can safely be in without A immediately breaking or disassembling something - with lightsabers and blocks and whatever else they can find that might be used to cause harm to someone else, trying to destroy one another. And G becomes "Starkiller" as he has dubbed his heroic self, and A yells out, "Superhero!" and the two of them go at it, and I go a little stir-crazy.

The problem is that it's hot outside, so hot and humid that your clothes feel like they're going to stick to your body the second you step outside, so warm that it takes your breath away and you have to spend a minute trying not to gasp in shock at the idea that it can be this inhumanly hot so many times in one summer. The heat index has soared back into the triple digits, hovering somewhere between 105 and 110, and in the very center of the Midwest, this is inexcusably hot. It's so hot that even Dante, who has often braved the heat in her fur-covered glory (she's a Malamute/Shepard mix .. We think) has been refusing to lounge outside in the shade for more than a few minutes, even though this has become her method of choice for avoiding these two screaming heathens that have come to invade her previously quiet existence. It's so hot that going anywhere or doing anything for any length of time is somehow difficult; precautions mean nothing in this world of heat. Carseats are hot enough to fry tender skin, the air conditioning could never cool down the whole car fast enough for the likes of everyone within, and even outdoor activities are nil - playground equipment is scalding, the pool is far too expensive, and even the "waterpark" is just too darn hot and doesn't have enough shade.

So the kids and I hunker down inside, enjoying the air conditioning and for once appreciating my mother's vampiric habits. We build with blocks and make horrible messes and try desperately to keep from wanting to destroy one another, and bide our time until G starts school next week. He was supposed to start today, but apparently the federal funding that allowed the Early Childhood Center to reopen their preschool program requires that all students must have a dental exam BEFORE attending; having one scheduled for two days after school starts is not enough. Thankfully, he doesn't know any better, and will be starting school what will end up being only two days late, next Monday. He'll be going for a few hours in the afternoon four days a week, will ride the bus, and I am SO EXCITED about this potential for only having one child around the house for a while (though granted, it will be the inarguably more clingy child). I never thought I'd be thrilled about the kids finally going to school, but I am - and to think that next year will be kindergarten and thus all day is even better. With any luck, A will start preschool next year and I will have some quiet time all to myself during the day.

Of course, I know I'll cry when G goes that first day, even knowing he'll survive it all and be fine and will be home in a few hours.