We spent last week down the shore on a family vacation in Long Beach Island. I relished the week, relaxing at the beach with family, nothing to do but suit up and and enjoy the ocean. We dug holes in the sand, built sand castles, jumped in the waves. Additional helpers in the form of grandparents improved the adult to child ratio which lessened the daily load of toddler watching. My husband and I even got a rare night out with my sister and her husband while the grandparents watched the kids. And the heat doesn't really bother me there. If you get hot, you can just go in the waves. A nice, cool breeze always blows over the ocean and makes for an almost chilly night. Then we came back to the city.
Summer is my least favorite season in the city. A lot of what I love about New York - the walkability, the parks, the history - make a hot summer day, well, not so hot. Walking around in near 100 degree weather is neither fun nor even a good idea. Plus, the high temperatures limit our park excursions, especially since our local park has had the sprinkle turned off lately for no apparent reason. And so many of the city's older buildings, including our 100-year-old house, either lack air-conditioning or the right construction to make it effective. Erg.
So just like during the extreme cold of this year's winter, I find myself struggling to find indoor activities for the little ones. This week we went down the list. Monday, the kids went to Bounce and Play, always a hit. I love the space and the comfortable AC. Tuesday, we went to a movements and crafts class at the library. Every Queens branch library has various free kid programs throughout the week. I find that they are hit or miss, but it's still something to do and then of course you can treat your kids to a new stack of library books. Wednesday, we went to Raising Astoria to Mr. Dave's sing-along. I felt a bit frazzled because, after walking 15 min in the hot sun, I was told when I arrived that they didn't accept credit cards (although I'd used them there in the past) and the kids needed socks. I literally ending up using pennies to come up with the correct sum ($10 for the event, $3/ per pair of socks). They also used speakers in the rather small space, which made the music too loud in my opinion.
Today, we opted to host a mini pool/ water table party at our place. I have hopes that the weather will be tolerable enough the rest of the week for back yard and park action. I miss the waves.
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