Beat the Heat!

Okay, so with the majority of the nation wiping sweat from their brow at o'dark-thirty in the morning because of the crazy high temps, I want to give you a couple of fun suggestions.

1. ICE CREAM IN A BAG: My friend Emily shared this recipe with me a few years ago and we have used it many times. This is a perfect way to let your kids make homemade ice cream, if you either don't have or don't want to drag out your ice cream maker.

Recipe:

In a sandwich size zippered baggie, add 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 tsp vanilla, and any 'extras' like chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, etc.

In a gallon size zippered baggie, fill it 1/2 way with ice and add 6 Tbsp rock salt. Put closed sandwich bag inside gallon bag, seal, & shake the daylights out of it! :)

Shake until you reach desired ice cream consistency-- or until your arm about falls off. :) Highly recommend doing this OUTside!

photo credit

2. BAKING IN THE CAR: To prove a point to my kids that 1) no, they can't "just wait in the car" and that 2) if they leave something living in the car in this heat it won't be alive for long, we are baking cookies-- in the car. I promise it can be done. Simply use your favorite cookie recipe (or purchased refrigerated cookie dough), place on cookie sheets, and put on the dash of your vehicle. Expect it to take roughly 2 hours to cook, but they truly will cook. As a plus, your car will smell like cookies. :) Be prepared, as the cookies do not turn brown. Lesson here is: If it's hot enough to bake cookies, it's hot enough to bake someone or something you love! If you want a recipe, step-by-step, and more of what to expect, you can find it here.

3) Okay, so if you're just too doggone hot for anything else, but want to get a discount on the kiddies back to school clothes, JCPenney is having a sale today through the weekend. However, today they are offering an extra 15-20% off by using this coupon-- 15% if you don't have a JCP card, 20% if you do.

Stay cool (literally) and save on, friends! :)