Its been really super hot here the last week, we reached 107 on Saturday.  Needless to say we had to get out of the house and keep the kids cooled down, so we headed over to my parents house and jumped in the pool.   Did that on Sunday, too.  You should see us, we’re all pretty tanned right now.  Finally!

Yesterday I ditched work and hung out with my kids, it was warm but not hot like it had been.  They wanted to go swimming again but we didn’t.  I  don’t know what made me think of this yesterday but I was remembering my childhood summers and how we use to cool off.   We didn’t know anyone with an in-ground pool so if we went swimming we’d have to be good so grandma would give us each a quarter and we’d walk a few blocks to the neighborhood pool.  We thought we were hot shit being able to go swimming.  My kids?  It doesn’t phase them that they can go to Grampy’s and swim anytime. 

Another way we use to cool down is a Slip N Slide!  But not the store bought ones, we weren’t that fortunate.  No my grandma always seemed to have “an extra” shower curtain liner in her linen closet!  lol Yup, you know what that meant, she’d give us the liner, we’d squeeze a bit of dish soap on it and play all day.  We lived where I live now, a complex without full size lawns, so we had to put the ghetto slip n slide on the drive way and get wet that way.   Although we had tons of fun and stayed cool, man by the end of the day you’d be sure to walk away with a few bumps and bruises!  A concrete driveway is not the best place for a soaped up slip n slide.

Finally, the most fun (and ghettoest) stay cool activity was when we’d go to my grandparents house and get wet on the corner.  They live across the street from a high school and a dead end corner next to the school.  During the hot LA summers of the 80’s some older neighborhood boys would somehow unlock the corner fire hydrant!  And WHOOSH there’d be water EVERYWHERE!  All us neighborhood kids would get out there, stand right in front of the gushing hydrant and be BLOWN across the street!   lol  Over and over we’d take turns getting in front of it.  We’d be out there forever, cooling off and flooding the ghetto.  Of course the fire department would come out and turn off the hydrant.  Once they left the boys would open it up again!  Then they’d come out again to shut it off.  I remember one summer they got tired of coming out and shutting it off that all they did was ask we shut it off when we’re done with it.   LMAO  Oh those were the good ol’ days.   And I bet if I told my girls these stories they’d look at me like I had three heads. 

What about you?  What did you do in your childhood summers?