Summer...finally!

2009 has been a bust for summer weather. If it's not raining, it's miserably cool for a "summer" day. News and weather reports indicate there's only been 1-2 days with temps higher than 30 degrees. On the one hand, our utility bills are a getting a break and our lawn looks great from all the rain. Only one smog day for 2009 too. On the other hand, it really doesn't feel like summer without the hot and humid weather. But we, in southern Ontario, are finally getting some heat and humidity this week.

This past weekend started out promising but the thunderstorms threatened to ruin our weekend. It's hard to plan an outing when the skies keep turning dark. Rather than spending another afternoon at an indoor facility, we decided to brave the humid air and the threatening storm clouds for an afternoon at the zoo (the real zoo, not our home). Besides the animals, there was the added attraction of the splash pad.

When you have kids, hot and sticky weather is consumed by finding ways to keep cool outdoors which translates into water play. If you're not fortunate enough to have a pool (wading pool does not count), you look for the nearest community pool or splash pad, the latest greatest invention for kids. Remember when we were kids and running through the sprinkler on the front lawn to stay cool? Or running and sliding along the yellow slip and slide sheet? Nowadays, there are splash pads for kids. Huge jazzed up versions of the sprinkler with lots of water shooting out of a variety of objects and a couple of slides and climbing structures too. Kids get to run around and get wet without the bulky life jacket. Parents get to sit in the shade or stand near a gentle sprinkle of water and the only challenge is keeping track of your kid(s) in the crowd of happily screaming wet children.

After watching the polar bears frolic in the water, we decided to take our trio of monkeys and head to the splash pad. All 3 loved it. Devlin's exact words were "I had a blast!" Ceilidh loved aiming the water cannon from atop the climbing structures, and Aisling took to this new experience like a pro. She didn't flinch once while running through the water falls, and demanded to be taken up to the slides. She didn't find the baby section very interesting, preferring to be with the big kids instead.

If you haven't been yet, get thee to a splash pad and enjoy before the summer's over!