Is It Fall Yet?

Has anyone else had it up to here with the intense, searing heat in Chicago lately?  I suppose if you don't have little ones, it might not make much of a difference to you.  I, however, have two toddlers who are fourteen months apart, and we all get cabin fever when it gets so hot for such long stretches of time.  I just can't bear bringing them into the heat.  I think a part of me is part polar bear.

I love Chicago and have always lived here.  When I became a mother, I'd think about and plan all the fun activities the kids and I could do together in the summer.  There's a catch, though.  The weather must cooperate.  This summer, it's been a scorcher. 

With two toddlers, it's difficult for me to plan around the sun.  One is two-and-a-half; the other is sixteen months old.  They cannot spend inordinate amounts of time in the sun, regardless of how much sunscreen I slather on them.  They get crabby, reckless, and seem to tire more easily, too.  To go from an air-conditioned house to and air-conditioned car to an air-conditioned place for an hour or two seems pointless to me.  It entails a lot of struggles with the carseats, cooperation, and working around naptimes.  It's better if we just stay home. 

Unfortunately, we get cabin fever because of it.  Sometimes I think it would be better to move to a different climate altogether.  Don't get me wrong; I love Chicago and always will.  I just seem to be having a challenging time trying to find things to interest my kids that don't require a lot of rushing, sitting in traffic, sunburn, and sweat. 

It's not easy being a Mom to two very active toddlers in the summertime.  We've got our playgroups and such, but I think I've become old at the ripe age of 35.  I have figured out that my favorite seasons are spring and autumn.  And that's how I know I'm not a youngster anymore!  Yeesh.