Dog Days of Summer

Have I mentioned that most days there are six scooters strewn across my front lawn or back patio? I love seeing this pack of kids wheeling up and down the sidewalk.

Summer is officially here. The other day, Isaac scurried onto the top of the van (a habit of his that we are trying to break) and started to shriek because the metal was scorching hot. Lesson learned?

My kids have been singing "Puff the Magic Dragon" and, "I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane," after a recent attempt to clean up the garage uncovered a Peter, Paul and Mary soundtrack. It's funny to hear them singing the same songs I grew up listening to -- on my parents' 8-track. I think Peter, Paul and Mary were the oldies when I was their age.

Speaking of being old, Sophie was asking me, "Why does she have to leave on a jet plane?" We were discussing the many possibilities and then I said, "Oh, I know, maybe it was like when I left on a jet plane to go work in Washington D.C. when your dad and I were dating." That led to a discussion about what I was doing in Washington D.C., and, just to make my daughter think I was cool, I started bragging about working at the Capitol, and she said, "Wow mom! Did you meet the president!?" She was thinking I was pretty cool and I was feeling so proud of myself and the next words out of her mouth were, "Was it when Kennedy was president?" Well, that kind of took the wind out of my sails. "Ummm . . . no, he was the president when your grandparents were your age sweetie."

Yesterday we made this perfect play doh:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon alum
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 cups water

Combine in a pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Knead when thickened.

Then, let the kids pick their own colors and work the food coloring in. It's magic. And, if you have a plastic spider and a three-year-old (or, two), pressing the spider into the dough and screaming "Look a spider!" Followed by everyone screaming, "Ahhh! A spider!" can provide at least an hour of entertainment (for the three-year-old(s) -- you may not be quite as entertained).

We had an afternoon backyard run through the sprinklers. In the end, Izzy and Isaac used the hose to turn the beach (sandbox) into the ocean (filled it with water and splashed around). Yes my friends, the dog days of summer are finally here.