Oh. my. goodness.
I’m a Southern girl by birth. Lived in the south almost my entire life.
I even lived in Texas for 10 years, forgoodnesssakes.
But this?
Insanity.
It’s almost 100 degrees outside.
It’s over 90 degrees inside.
Why do people build houses with no central air?
And more importantly, why did we buy a house with no central air?
The kids are sprawled out on the basement floor… pushing around Legos, pretending to build stuff. Panting.
And sucking on popsicles. Thanks to y’alls advice a few weeks back, we were slightly prepared. We’re using the fans. And the washcloths.
But I’m not gonna lie, this stinks.
At least we just got hooked up with Netflix. Did you know you can stream it thru your Wii?
Now if we can get the TV down to the basement…
I can't think of anything that makes me grumpier than a hot house on a 100 degree day. Girl, the fact that you haven't come completely unglued says a lot about your character. Or maybe there's something you aren't telling us. LOL.
I say go buy a window unit, gather the family and shut yourself in!!
Oh girl! I have come unglued!!
And window units? Completely. Sold. Out.
: (
C'mon coldfront!!
We were one of those people who built a home with no central air. LOL! And yes, now we think we were nuts!! 🙂
We finally gave in and put the 2 air conditioners that were given to us in the windows. Whoa! Huge difference…temperature wise but also attitude wise. 🙂
Praying for some cool breezes to come your way….
Oh my goodness! I can only imagine. Can we UPS you some window units from down here?? I hope it cools down soooooon for y'all.
~Branda
Livin' in GA and still not experiencing the same heat y'all are…So sorry – wishing we could send some cool breezes your way!
Sheila
ok, you HAVE TO buy these things called Frogg Toggs!!! Do you have a Sports Authority nearby? They are a must have and I think they will do your family some good!!!
Lots and lots of crushed ice….and cold cold showers and playing in the sprinklers. Good Luck. Glad we have air conditioning.
We're 113 degrees!!! With no end in sight!! Arg! In the old days (with no central AC), we used to wet towels, and lay in front of a fan. Cools you right down. Fast. 🙂 We got so hot during one particularly nasty summer (think constant 113 degrees) we SLEPT like that!!
My kids don't know how lucky they are with central AC!! (except we had a 13 hour blackout the other day!)
Sending cooling thoughts!
Snick 🙂
dd Sunshine 9 VN
dd Brilliance 4 China
Right there with you. Our window unit couldn't keep up when it reached 105 degrees today. Plus, working at a camp means pretty much living outside in it ALL day. It's HOT! I (and 250 campers and staff) are chanting along with you…"Go away heat wave and take your humidity with you!"
We also have no central ac. Do you have a window unit. We spend a lot of time hanging in that room. It is just plain hot most of the time though.
I do NO Baking during summer and the bare minimum of cooking. I actually cook a lot of our food either crockpot, microwave or camp stove outside. (dh's request) Let's just say I'm not real crazy about preparing food during the summer. LOL My dc love frozen bananas, fruit smoothies and lots and lots of ice cold water. Thank tops and shorts with sandles.
Bearing it with you! Although Kansas isn't all that hot and I believe not as humid as the south.
It is hot here too girl (104*). We go out from 7-12 (the earlier the better). Then we go inside during the hot part of the day until about 6 or 7pm. Play downstairs, chill in front of the tv, nap…who cares. Then in the evening it is back outside. We went for a walk today in the woods. It was not too bad. If your hot inside, your hot outside. At least you can get some fresh air. Find a creek to play in or have a water fight. Even the dog got into the water and just started to roll. I guess he was hot too. Hee Hee Hee.
Are there any free movies around your place? We have them here every Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday- music in the park. Then on Friday nights, we have free music and movies under the local library bridge. It is very cool. As a single mother, I like free.
Sharyn
Bless your heart! We're melting down here in Mississippi but at least we have central AC.
I felt your pain for a couple of days last week when our unit wasn't working.
On the bright side, this heat will help me adjust to the sweltering temps over in Guangzhou in less that 2 weeks!!! Woo Hoo! Let the sweat fest begin. I will do ANYTHING to get my little boy home! (by the way, one of his special needs is bilateral clubfoot. Your blog was a great resource when we were considering that possibility) Thanks for all you do!
I grew up in a part of New York State where the overwhelming majority of houses don't have A/C. It doesn't get this hot there, but it does get hot. I remember taking my swimsuit, running it under the sink, wringing it out, and putting it on to wear around the house like that just to cool down!
It's awful, isn't it? Yesterday it was 103!! In NEW.YORK.CITY!!!! Madness, I tell you, madness!!!
We have single A/C units in our apt. so it's bearable, but there's no where for Kiara to run & jump inside 😉
Compound that heat with Kiara's RAGING eczema outbreak…sigh…and a sinus infection brewing for me…AND we leave for vacation tomorrow…
I spent all day at the pediatrician's office today…at least it was A/C!!
Oh well…given the choice, I'll take a hot summer day over a frigid winter day!
We bought a house with central air UPSTAIRS but not DOWNSTAIRS where we spend all day long! Anyway, I am not sure my tip will work for you – and it took me the longest time to try it b/c it feels so unnatural – BUT, close up all your windows and blinds and run whatever fans and ceiling fans you have in the house to keep all the hot air outside. It makes a HUGE difference to the temps in our house (But then again, maybe it has something to do with our air being pulled down from upstairs….then again, there is nothing good outside right now but hot air to come in – so close it out!) Seriously, I always think some little breeze is going to help, but when it is this hot, shut it all out!
Other ideas….spend lots of time on air conditioned outings – Target, walk the mall, the library, the movies. Our local theater has FREE kids movies a few times a week which is perfect because I never know how long my kids will last and because I am a cheapskate (or thrifty) :). It is too hot for the sprinkler, pools, spray parks (we've tried). You just need to find some cool places to hang out and get your party over there! 🙂
No way- sold out? I was gonna remind you that we all lived in my bedroom for most of the month of June until we got our new heatpump installed. It sucked. sorry! But hey, we had cool air and we praised God for it DAILY and NIGHTLY…it was 100 INSIDE.
Can't you get Lowe's to order one from another store? Come on…in this day and age?!?
Ya'll hang out in one room and cool down…it's like a big adventure..yes it gets old, but you do what you must and the kids will have fun with it for the first few days! Seriously..I would call Lowes and ask them to order me one!
Hugs of sympathy,
Holly
We don't have air conditioning either. This is what we do: at night after the temps drop, open up the house to get cross ventilation. Hopefully the temps drop in the nighttime there, for that really helps. Then, in the morning (check the hourly temps) close up the house as soon as it hits 72 degrees outside. Close all the curtains. Don't use the stove. That's what we do, and it stays below 80 inside. Still hot, but manageable. We also hang out a lot in the basement, which is below ground and stays cool.
I'm not all that far from you…about an hour and a half and this heat is brutal. I am not sleeping and it's not because of the heat…I'm packing. Part of this crew leaves at 5am for China…and I'm still not quite ready. How can it be that we waited 2.5 years and now we are down to the wire? I think it has been sort of surreal that it is actually happening. I'll have to get some rest before the "spitfire" arrives back home.
5 generations of folks living in the AZ desert most without ac. 112 degrees today. My best suggestion is to take a dish towel, and wet it down. Wring it out as much as possible. Then put it in the freezer till really frozen. I keep several rotating so there's always a couple ready to go. Pop the dish towel out of the freezer, and tie it around your neck (too much water and you can't bend it, and you don't want it to get drippy as it melts) Has to be a dish towel so it's long enough to tie around your neck but still light enough to not be bothersome. Then go about your business. You'll be surprised how big a difference this makes.
Well Blessings on you guys – lawn sprinkler – or if water is short (that happens here sometimes) one of those 2' deep kid pools – water guns – supersoakers!! No trees for shade? A $5.00 tarp at anyplace will be big enough to cover the pool – a couple sticks, string, and nails and you have shade on the cheap!
Hang tough – hugs – aus and co.
Stephanie, I hope you read your comments because I really need your help. My name is Carrie and I have been a long time follower of your blog. I have a daughter from China and a son from the Democratic Republic of Congo. I was in contact for awhile with one of your Wild Olive partners when she was trying to decide about adopting from Ethiopia. Here is my request–I am now on the board of directors for Our Family Adoptions, the humanitarian aid group that helped us bring home our son. It is a true non-profit (no paid employees, all volunteer) probably just like An Orphans Wish. It is very grassroots. The volunteers are all families who have previously adopted from DRC. We are currently entered in a grant contest to win between $20,000 and $250,000. It is called the Chase Community Giving Contest. All we have to do is be in the top 200 vote getters on the Chase Community Givers Facebook page and we will win at least the $20,000. Right now we are in about #244th place. So close. But I have tapped out all the friends I have on Facebook and I'm getting desparate to figure out how to get more votes. I blogged about, as have some of the OFA families(but our blogs have pretty limited readership) and we are giving away some prizes. Would you please consider doing a blog post about us? My email address is frednphil@comcast.net if you need any additional information and my blog is http://www.grace-and-haven.blogspot.com. My blog has a link to the Facebook page for voting in the contest on the most recent entry. I want everyone to know that all the money will go directly to orphans living in DRC. None of it would be used to assist with anyone's personal adoptions. I am in process to adopt to more babies from DRC right now (just waiting on that darn I-171). You clearly have a huge heart for adoption and orphan care, as do I, so I am pleading with you as one advocate to another, if there is anything you can do to help it would be hugely appreciated. Thanks so much, Carrie Wood
I'm in NE too and coming unglued as well. I keep thinking about how I dream of the hot summer in the middle of the winter. I'd rather my dreams don't come THIS true. Hang in there!!!