Beating the heat

Last fall we sold our air conditioner because we thought we would be moving in the spring and wouldn't need it. However, due to many state budgets cuts Andy was not accepted in any of the graduate programs he applied to so we will be here a little over a year. Yesterday the temperature reached high 80's, but thankfully it was a very windy day.
We went outside after breakfast at 8 am. The girls rode their scooters that Grandma Becky and Erie got them for christmas, and honestly I was amazed at how much they've improved. Andi rode her bike for a while and is getting a bit better; she still has to have me help her steer, and forgets to look up instead of at her feet, but she's gotten brave enough to ride without me holding on to the bike. After an hour or so Andy went outside with us and we played ladderball before I had to head to the laundry mat.
Ashlyn and I went to the laundry mat together, and while we waited for the clothes to wash we went to target and festival to get a couple of things for lunch, and even though I'm trying to stop using "replacement foods" I found vegan parmasian cheese for pasta and had to get it for Andi, my vegan child who eats hamburger, and myself. Andi was pretty excited.
When we got home I hung a basket of clothes with Ashlyn's help and sorted out some clothes that would dry quickly inside then made lunch. I made veggie subs:

Loaf of "Everything French Bread" with cut up cucumbers, lettuce, and broccoli and carros slices from a mixture that's in with the bagged lettuce. I topped it with a sweet vidalia onion dressing. I was going to put green peppers in it too, but frankly, I was too lazy to cut anything else. With the sandwich we had red potatoes cooked in olive oil and seasoned. yummy yummy lunch. Surprisingly, Andy gobbled up his sandwich and asked for another. This surprised me since it was just veggies on bread! Anyway, after lunch I hung more clothes, took a cold cold shower, then went downstairs with the girls and took a nap. After nap time it was already time to make supper. After cooking a bunch of food and washing dishes in hot water we walked to the gas station and got the girls push up popcycles. Ashlyn took her scooter which was a major wake up call for me as to how big she is getting! I can't believe it sometimes. We got home, cleaned the girls up and went downstairs to watch american idol. The girls slept on the floor in our room since it was cooler and I wanted to leave all the windows and the backdoor open upstairs, which I can't do when they're upstairs alone. It was like a fun little slumber party since Andy stayed upstairs for a while leaving us girls to hang out alone. :)
The best part is this:
Today the high is only 66, and it is cloudy and rainy. No major heat to beat today! :) Maybe we'll have an air conditioner before we have another really hot day.

I've come to realize...

I've come to realize:

...Life runs much more smoothly when I am home
...I am open minded, but also set in my ways
...Even though my husband doesn' share my views on animal rights, he is amazingly supportive
...I did everything I could to nurse our hamters back to health and need to stop living in guilt
...There is no perfect way to parent a child as long as all your actions are guided by love
...When saving a plant, animal, river etc. become a widespread goal it is typically only because peoples lives are somehow affected by it
...I will never understand the point of making it a priority to protect an endangered species, only to hunt it again once it's no longer endangered
...I need to let go of the past and live for now
...I can never successfully stop being vegan...it's no my diet, it's who I am and will always be. Trying to stop means pretending to be someone I'm not
...It doesn't matter what other people think about me, and caring so much about it will only cause me to continue makin poor discisions
...Today is all that matters